State Project Feature - AgrAbility of Utah

State Project Feature – AgrAbility of Utah

AgrAbility of Utah has been federally funded since 1998. For the past nine years project staff has worked hard to build a strong client base and develop rapport with Utah agriculturists in the thirteenth largest state in the nation. AgrAbility of Utah is headquartered at Utah State University (USU) and partners with two Independent Living Centers (ILCs): OPTIONS for Independence in Logan (northern Utah); and Red Rock Center for Independence in St. George (southern Utah). Working with these two organizations allows AgrAbility to efficiently provide services throughout the state.

A very exciting and unique aspect of AgrAbility of Utah is its close connection with the Center for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) at Utah State University. The CPD is one of sixty-seven other University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Education, Research, and Services located throughout the United States. The CPD at Utah State University has been in place for more than thirty-five years. With over 250 employees administering programs ranging from assistive technology and disability information to a high-tech immunology/genetic research laboratory, the CPD is home to a large body of knowledge and experience to serve nearly every disability need. AgrAbility of Utah looks to the CPD for advice and answers to technical questions, as well as assistance in program promotion. Among the many programs CPD administers are the Utah Assistive Technology Foundation (UATF) loan and grant program and the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP). AgrAbility of Utah also cooperates closely with the Utah Farm Bureau, Utah Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Coalition, Utah Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Future Farmers of America, and other local charitable organizations.

AgrAbility of Utah is proud to have staff possessing strong agricultural backgrounds, making them adept at serving farmers and ranchers in a unique agriculture industry. The average farm size in Utah is 768 acres.²⁰ The relatively large size of farms is due mainly to the lack of irrigation for pastures, requiring larger areas of land to produce a profit. The cattle industry makes up seventy-eight percent of Utah’s annual farm income, and eleven percent of the remaining farm income in Utah comes from the sale of feed crops used to support the livestock industry.²⁰ The federal and state governments own seventy-five percent of Utah’s land, and a vast majority of ranchers in the state lease property from the government, mainly during the summer months after the snow melts. This method of ranching requires transportation of cattle, which is done by truck or by driving the cows on horseback. The large acreage in Utah ranch operations, and methods of production, present a number of unique challenges to ranchers with disabilities. Mobility is a particularly common issue, as ranchers must do a lot of walking and mounting and riding horses to check on and move cattle.

AgrAbility of Utah, like all state AgrAbility projects, believes that everyone in agriculture deserves the right to see their dreams of working the land come true, no matter what the obstacles. They take pride in helping agriculturalists reach goals that may once have been unattainable.

AgrAbility of Utah Staff

Rhonda Miller, Ph.D. has served as project director for AgrAbility of Utah since July 2001. She is an associate professor and has been in the Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education at Utah State University for more than six years. Miller grew up on an irrigated cash grain farm in Southeastern Nebraska. She received her B.S. and M.S. from the University of Nebraska and her Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

Richard D. Baer, Ph.D. has been the director of outreach, development and dissemination at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University for the past twenty-six years and has worked with AgrAbility of Utah since its beginning in 1998.

David G. Ezola has been the AgrAbility coordinator for OPTIONS for Independence for the past six years. Ezola grew up on a dairy farm and helped his uncle train racehorses. He currently raises alfalfa, barley, and wheat on an irrigated operation.

Terry Dan Hawks has been a consumer advocate for AgrAbility of Utah at Red Rock Center for Independence in St. George, Utah for more than seven years. He was raised on an alfalfa and dairy farm in Caldwell, Idaho. In his current position, he assists individuals in acquiring needed equipment and provides ADA advocacy.

Monica Jimenez has worked for the Center for Persons with Disabilities for more than four years as a marketing/minority outreach specialist. Monica began working with AgrAbility of Utah as the minority outreach coordinator in 2003. She is proficient in Spanish and understands the unique needs of the Hispanic community in Utah.

Luke Petersen has been involved with AgrAbility of Utah as the assistive technology coordinator since fall of 2005. Luke grew up on a farm near Salt Lake City, Utah where his father, who was paralyzed in an automobile accident, not only taught him about the agricultural profession, but also about the needs of farmers with disabilities.

Dell Transtrum joined the AgrAbility team just this summer as an Assistive Technology Specialist. Dell’s involvement in the cattle industry in Southern Idaho makes him a great asset to the cattle-based agricultural economy in Utah.

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In This Issue
Section 1: Client Story Section 2: Focus Section 3: Assistive Technology Notes	Section 4: State Project Feature Section 5: References Section 6: Contacts