Paul Jones, project manager for the National AgrAbility Project, told a story that typifies how AgrAbility helps those in agriculture dealing with disability.
He told of a small diversified produce and livestock operation in Indiana. The farm sells its fresh produce and value-added products at its own little market stand and at local farmers markets. But the proprietor has rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause joint pain that affects mobility and stamina that can worsen in extreme temperatures, and is slowly losing her vision.
AgrAbility worked together with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation to help her keep farming. This took the form of a utility vehicle with a cab to help extend her ability to work in different conditions, and burying water lines so she doesn’t have to haul water.
But recent funding changes at the federal level — including H.R. 1 or the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” and grant funding changes — cast uncertainty on the program’s future.
About AgrAbility
“AgrAbility’s focus has always been on helping virtually anybody in agriculture who has any type of disability or functional limitation,” Jones explains. While a disability could be things like an amputation, blindness or PTSD, “functional limitation” includes many of the common complaints of aging.
“Things like back problems are really a big issue for a lot of people in agriculture,” Jones notes. “Arthritis too, especially with the average age of farmers being around 58, is fairly common and can be a significant barrier to completing the tasks people need to complete.”
He adds the need for AgrAbility’s services is only increasing.
“The farming population keeps aging, and there’s all kind of issues related to that,” Jones says. “All the way from mobility to incidents of diabetes and other diseases that are more prevalent in older people. And agriculture is always going to be a physical task. No matter how much mechanization you include in agriculture, there’s always going to be some physical component.”
The program is also increasingly working in the farm stress and mental health realm too, Jones adds, as well as helping veterans returning from military service.
AgrAbility began in 1990 as both the National AgrAbility Project and State/Regional AgrAbility Projects. Both are required to be partnerships between a land grant university and at least one nonprofit disability organization. There are currently 21 official state programs.
“The reason that there’s not 50 is because, basically, funding limitations,” Jones says.
Funding uncertainty
The current federal situation has caused a lot of changes and uncertainty for groups and programs that receive federal funding. This included funding freezes on federal grants earlier this year, the passage of H.R. 1, the recent executive order on federal grantmaking, and the reorganizations of federal agencies like USDA.
When asked if these changes have or will hit AgrAbility, Jones says yes.
“But we’re not exactly sure how that’s going to work at this point,” he adds. “We’re still a little bit in the dark.”
He explains that the program did experience the pause in funding in May and June that hit many federal grant funding recipients. That funding was later reinstated for the current fiscal year.
Things look somewhat hopeful for fiscal year 2026, Jones notes. H.R. 1 actually included a funding increase for fiscal year 2026 that benefits the program. Though even with that boon, there are uncertainties, such as the funding source shifting.
“Funding was designated to come through the Commodity Credit Corporation,” he explains. “We’re not familiar with the Commodity Credit Corporation. And it indicates that the funding will be available until expended. So, it leaves us with questions about what happens after that funding is expended. And it’s just designated for fiscal year 2026.”
Jones says the question now is: What happens after 2026?
The future focus
For now, Jones says AgrAbility is “driving on as if we’re going to continue to have funding, continuing to do the work we’ve always done.”
“We’re not prepared to just totally abandon the ship after 35 years of doing this,” he adds. “We know from the success stories that we are definitely making an impact.”
The program is also looking into various funding strategies. One has been setting up an AgrAbility foundation separate from USDA funding that could fundraise for the programs.
“There are some corporations that have been willing to provide funding through foundations or through corporate giving, so those are options we want to continue to explore,” he adds. “We haven’t always done that, but it may be more of a necessity than an add-on in the future.”
AgrAbility has always appreciated USDA’s support, Jones says, but it also understands the current pressures on federal funding. He adds that he thinks the competitive process that keeps people and projects honest on how federal money is spent is important.
“That’s a good thing,” he says, adding that he thinks AgrAbility is “a pretty good value.”
“We’re not a big money program, but we try to deliver a high rate of return for the dollars we get, and we also try to raise additional money to expand on the money we get from the federal government,” he adds.
As the agricultural population ages, Jones says the demand for AgrAbility’s services will only continue.
“None of us are going to be able bodied forever — it’s only a temporary state.”
