Introduction

Adapting. Not Quitting.

Summer sunset with a red barn and silos in rural Montana with Rocky Mountains in the background.

For more than 35 years, the National AgrAbility Program has supported farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by disability.

Agriculture shapes daily life in ways that extend beyond work. It influences identity, family responsibility, and connection to land and community. When injury, illness, or age-related conditions limit a person’s ability to perform familiar tasks, the impact reaches far beyond the field or the barn.

AgrAbility helps individuals and families find practical ways to remain safely engaged in agriculture. The program focuses on problem-solving that is grounded in real operations and real conditions. This includes identifying appropriate assistive technology, adapting work practices, and connecting people to trusted partners and resources.

This publication brings together a range of AgrAbility experiences drawn from different regions, agricultural operations, and points in time. The stories included were selected to reflect the variety of challenges people face and the ways AgrAbility has supported continued participation in agriculture. Together, they illustrate how access to practical information, tools, and collaborative support can help individuals remain active in agricultural work.

Thank you to the individuals, project teams, partners, and supporters who have contributed to AgrAbility’s work over the past 35 years. Their efforts continue to strengthen agricultural communities by helping people remain engaged in the work that matters to them.

Our mission is to support farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers affected by disability so they can continue contributing to agriculture, their families, and their communities.

In the pages that follow, you will find examples of how this mission is carried out across different operations and circumstances. These stories reflect the practical solutions, the collaborative support, and the ways people adapt in order to continue working.

Bill Field, Professor, National AgrAbility Director
Paul Jones, National AgrAbility Project Project Manager

Learn more about Doug’s journey—the farmer pictured 0n the front cover of the report.