Tennessee AgrAbility Project Continues With New Funding and Expanded Programming

Nov 13, 2025

University of Tennessee Extension is pleased to announce that the Tennessee AgrAbility Project has received an eight-month continuation award to support farmers with disabilities across the state. Funding is available through April 2026.

AgrAbility is a national USDA-sponsored program that helps farmers and ranchers with disabilities or chronic health conditions continue farming safely and successfully. Since 1994, TN AgrAbility has supported Tennessee farmers facing physical, cognitive or other challenges by identifying solutions to continue farming safely and productively through on-farm assessments, assistive technology support, education and networking. TN AgrAbility is administered through UT Extension in partnership with Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension as well as the STAR Center, a statewide technology access program.

Due to recent federal program changes and the absence of a new Request for Applications (RFA) earlier this year, the future of Tennessee AgrAbility was uncertain and the program began preparing for discontinuation. During this time, UT Extension stepped in to retain AgrAbility Specialists and ensure that open cases were closed with care. This interim support allowed TN AgrAbility to continue assisting farm families. With the new continuation funding, TN AgrAbility has returned to full operational capacity and is launching several exciting initiatives for the coming year.

Through the newly developed Tennessee branch of the Bridging Horizons Project, FFA chapters across Tennessee will be invited to design service projects that enhance accessibility for farmers with disabilities. Up to three chapters will receive $2,000 each to implement their ideas, with projects showcased at state FFA events and TN AgrAbility outreach programs.

Source : tennessee.edu

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