Illinois AgrAbility

11/18/2024

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠?!

Check out this one-day class to learn about Beekeeping 101!🐝
➡️Hosted by the Central Illinois Beekeeping Association.

10/24/2024

'𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲' 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐅𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬!⚠️
Illinois AgrAbility along with University of Illinois Extension are educating hundreds of young FFA members from across the nation in the area of 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐘. We are making sure all students know how many points of contact you should maintain while using a ladder (THREE), and many other ladder safety facts.🪜🚧

10/09/2024

Stay safe!!🧯⚠️

Whether the midwest is on high-fire risk like now or just every day for safety first, here are a few daily things to check before heading out to the combine:

Check the weather forecast. Conditions are dry and windy, wait.
Ensure the farm address is clearly visible from the road.
Always know the exact field identification and location.
Access to water, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets.
Access to equipment to create potential fire breaks.
Maintain, clean, and monitor equipment for fire potential.
Smoke detectors in buildings with alerts connected to a phone.
Have a plan for all livestock.

Feel safer and know how to prepare for high-fire risk conditions with tips from climate and agricultural safety experts at Illinois, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Nebraska Extension, Illinois State Water Survey, USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

🔗 Find more risks around the farm, building and storage, environmental contributors, and steps for preparedness by downloading the fact sheet at go.illinois.edu/FarmFireRisks.

10/01/2024

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬!🤩

Our ambassador program involves having Extension staff from across the state involved in promoting and recommending AgrAbility to others in their communities.

Extension staff 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄 as volunteer advocates for the Illinois AgrAbility program while they 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐘 and refer potential clients to Illinois AgrAbility. They help 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐄 AgrAbility and build awareness within their current Extension work.🍀🐖🍅🌽💦

📌Currently, Illinois AgrAbility has 16 ambassadors serving 30 counties across the state!

Thank you to 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥 for your work and dedication in serving the Illinois AgrAbility program!⬇️

Illinois Extension- Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash and Wayne Counties

09/27/2024

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧?🌽🐃
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 "𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧" 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧, 𝐈𝐋!
Participants will learn new strategies that will give them the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with chronic pain.

📌Registration is required by October 16 by calling Illinois Extension at 217-543-3755 or Mid-Illinois Senior Services at 217-728-8521.

09/18/2024

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸!🚜
See below for some great learning opportunities within Illinois Extension.⬇️

Help acknowledge that it's National Farm Safety and Health Week as harvest has kicked off in many locations across the state. Take a minute to think of one step to take toward a safer season.

Then visit the Cultivating Caution series to tune in for the next webinar tomorrow at 11 a.m addressing mental stress and health in agriculture. Explore stress management, resources, and common farm stressors around harvest and all year long.

🔗 Learn more about the Addressing Mental Health and Stress in Ag session at extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-09-17-addressing-mental-health-and-stress-agriculture

🔗Cultivating Caution Series: go.illinois.edu/SafeAg2024.

The Cultivating Caution series is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Agricultural Safety & Health Program, University of Illinois College of ACES, farmdoc Daily, and Illinois Extension.

09/04/2024

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆?🚜🐖🌽
▪️ FREE onsite farm assessments
▪️ Recommendations and modifications for safe equipment or devices
▪️ Educational opportunities and informational resources on a variety of topics

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!
🌐https://extension.illinois.edu/agrability

08/28/2024

Many foods can benefit eye health, but are you eating enough? Kristin Bogdonas, nutrition and wellness educator, explains what foods we should include each week to protect our eyes and recommendations to protect them with lifestyle changes.

🎧extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/wellness-wake-call/protect-your-eyes-these-foods-and-lifestyle-tips

07/03/2024

➡️Check out this FREE opportunity to engage and learn with others across Illinois who want to TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR HEALTH through a 6-week course in Chronic Disease Self-Management!

📌Register online (below) by July 8th. Only 12 spots available.

Experiencing symptoms from chronic disease is a daily and often private occurrence for many.

Illinois AgrAbility emphasizes the importance of being proactive with agricultural health and safety through the Take Charge free webinar series open beginning July 15.

Topics include adding safety with fall prevention, learning better breathing techniques, working effectively with health care professionals, and creating action plans for problem-solving and decision-making.

Session dates: July 15, July 22, July 29, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, and Aug. 19. Registration is required by July 8. Space is limited to 12 total attendees who sign up once to participate as a class attending all summer sessions.

Find details and registration available at extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-07-15-take-charge-your-health-chronic-disease-self-management

06/13/2024

Check out this FREE opportunity to learn about heat illness!☀️ Register today!

Learn how to reduce the dangers of heat illness while working outdoors through safety precautions learned in the next Cultivating Caution webinar session coming up at 11 AM on June 18.

Upcoming sessions: July 16: IL Injury Surveillance Efforts; Aug. 20: Farm Safety for Youth; Sept. 17: Mental Stress in Ag; Oct. 15: Resources for Farm Crisis; Nov. 19: Future of Ag Safety.

Cultivating Caution: A Monthly Guide to Farm Safety is a free webinar series providing practical tips and best practices for Illinois farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers to protect themselves, their families, and their operations.

To find webinar details and register, visit extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-06-18-heat-illness

This webinar series is co-sponsored by farmdoc Daily, Illinois Extension, University of Illinois College of ACES, and the Agricultural Safety & Health Program.

05/28/2024

🗣“When I am engaging in outreach activities across the state for Illinois AgrAbility, where our primary audience is the farming population, I always share about the device loan program offered by IATP as a great solution for education and access to assistive technology devices,” says Jones. “However, it was clear that to entice our audience to check out IATP and its resources, we needed to be able to offer some agricultural-related tools and devices that could be useful to the farmer outside on their farms.”

Read about this unique partnership between Illinois AgrAbility and Illinois Assistive Technology Program - IATP below!⬇️

URBANA, Ill. — Stepping in to assist farmers through research, conversation, knowledge, and assistance devices is how Illinois AgrAbility continues to work alongside