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News Releases
MARRTC Partner Project Receives Grant
Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 19, 2002) - A partner project of the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) has received a $150,000-per-year grant.
AgrAbility, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is dedicated to educating and assisting farmers and ranchers who have disabilities.
AgrAbility partners with MARRTC’s Farmers with Arthritis Project, a dissemination and technology program designed to help farmers and ranchers with arthritis remain productive.
As partners, AgrAbility and MARRTC’s Farmers with Arthritis Project assist people with disabilities who work in production agriculture on both small and large farm operations, said Karen Funkenbusch, a research associate and rural safety and health specialist who directs the Farmers with Arthritis Project.
"MU has had an active AgrAbility project since 1994, and this grant will allow us to continue in this effort," said Funkenbusch.
Through both the AgrAbility and Farmers with Arthritis projects, specialists provide on-site technical assistance in adapting farm equipment and tools or modifying farm operations and buildings. Farm families receive education to prevent further injury and disability. Families are also put in touch with appropriate resources and support networks.
County-based Outreach and Extension professionals also receive training in working with families they serve.
Missouri is one of 18 states to win the competitive AgrAbility grants from the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.
"A number of hazards increase the risk of accidents for agricultural workers," said Funkenbusch. "In addition, many farm operators continue to work well past the normal retirement age of 65, making them more prone to injuries that result in disabilities.
"Arthritis, for example, is one of the most common disabilities afflicting farm workers, especially those more senior workers," Funkenbusch said. The AgrAbility project also assists farmers and their families in coping with neuromuscular diseases, neurological conditions, sensory impairments and mental illness. Isolation of rural areas can mean limited assistance for farm families seeking help, she said.
AgrAbility partners with Agricultural Engineering Extension at the University of Missouri-Columbia. MARRTC, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, partners with the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
“These partnerships allow AgrAbility and the Farmers with Arthritis projects to better assist farm workers and persons living in rural Missouri with arthritis,” said Funkenbusch.
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