Ability Agriculture

💥 Ability in Agriculture - Independent Report Launch 💥 December 3rd 2023 Today is International Day of Persons with disability. This IDPWD we thought we'd launch our first independent report uncovering insights into the support, adaptations, current perceptions and the road forward for disability inclusion & adaptions in agriculture. Why? The Ability Agriculture Foundation undertook this survey for a few reasons: -there is limited published data on farmers or agricultural workers with disability in Australia, further there is limited understanding of agricultural accessibility and the major barriers to inclusion or accessibility in agriculture and our rural communities -our industry and broader society do not have baseline metrics on the disability confidence or inclusion of our agricultural industry from settings of employment, agricultural services, awareness & access to resources -a need for greater understanding to the adjustments, supports, resources & adaptions in rural areas for individuals, agricultural workers & employers to build inclusion and agricultural accessibility Over the next week we will post some of our key statistics these may be the first baseline for Australian agriculture. These may be some statistics that are conversation starters over your Graze to Raise morning tea. Importantly our road forward is through more than just advocacy, it is through support & collaboration, working with industry & the broader disability community. If there's any one thing from our Ability in Agriculture Report to take away, we don't need to anecdotally say "we believe", but we know agriculture has the ability and want for positive & proactive change. It’s the reason this incredible supportive Ability Agriculture Community has formed. National Farmers' Federation Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) Ltd Grain Growers Limited AgriFutures Australia The Weekly Times National Disability Insurance Agency

🎉 Big Announcement! The SkyKelpie Scholarship is Here! 🎉 🌾 Ability Agriculture is pleased to be the inaugural partner of the SkyKelpie scholarship, an incredible opportunity for individuals passionate about agriculture and innovation! 🌟 📦 What’s Included in the Scholarship? 🛸 A drone, OR a $3000 credit, OR a CASA-accredited Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) 📚 Access to the SkyKelpie Aerial Stockmanship Course 🖥️ Access to the SkyKelpie Simulator 🎟️ A ticket to EvokeAg 2025 🤝 12 months of mentorship with the SkyKelpie Team Each year, SkyKelpie will partner with a different organization to identify exceptional recipients. This year, Ability Agriculture is honored to be the collaborative partner, as a leader in advocating for inclusivity in agriculture. This partnership encourages people living with a disability or impairments to apply and embrace the opportunities agtech offers 🌱 🗨️ A Word from Our Founders Luke Chaplain, SkyKelpie’s Founder, shared: “I’m excited to make this an annual initiative. We've been working with Ability Agriculture for a while now, and I’m looking forward to giving someone in their community an opportunity.” Josie Clarke, Founder of Ability Agriculture, added: “SkyKelpie is driving real change for a safer, more inclusive, and accessible future in agriculture. This partnership shows how agtech can open doors for farmers and aspiring drone pilots of all abilities.” 📢 Applications are now open! 🗓️ Applications close 9 January 2025 at 5pm AEST. 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gX_B4nRh Let’s build a more inclusive and innovative future in agriculture, together! 💚 #SkyKelpieScholarship #AbilityAgriculture #InclusiveAg #FutureOfFarming #AgTech #EvokeAg2025

🌟 We’re proud to share Nikkita’s incredible journey, supported by the Ability Agriculture Foundation and its generous donors. Nikkita recently competed at the Tamworth Dressage Showcase, hosted by the Tamworth Dressage Club at AELEC. While she couldn’t enter the Virtus Section for equestrians with disabilities and impairments, she rose to the challenge by competing in the Open Closed Unrestricted Preliminary 1.2 and 1.3 classes, riding against adult competitors for the first time. Nikkita’s performance was outstanding: she placed 7th in Preliminary 1.2 with a score of 52.87 and 6th in Preliminary 1.3 with 59.375. Judged by official EA-registered judges, Nikkita’s achievements showcased her passion and determination to excel. This amazing experience was made possible thanks to the support of the Ability Agriculture Foundation and our incredible donors, who empower individuals like Nikkita to follow their dreams and thrive in agriculture. 📢 Exciting News for 2025 📢 As part of our commitment to fostering inclusivity and empowerment in rural and regional Australia, the Ability Agriculture Foundation we have three youth scholarships for 2025 available! These scholarships are designed to support young individuals in achieving their goals in livestock showing and building a sustainable and inclusive future in agriculture and beyond. We highly encourage youth with disability and or impairments and their responsible caregivers or teachers who are interested in livestock showing (beef, cattle, pigs, sheep, birds) to apply on our website form (Youth Livestock Sponsorship). We extend heartfelt thanks to our donors and supporters for enabling moments like these. Your contributions help create life-changing opportunities and make a meaningful impact. If you’d like to get involved, support our initiatives, or learn more about the scholarships, please reach out. 👏 Join us in celebrating Nikkita’s success #Inclusion #AbilityAgriculture #YouthEmpowerment #TamworthDressage #YouthScholarships2025 #InclusiveAgriculture

Whilst working as an occupational therapist with NDIS participants I would often see our clients had similar goals - regardless of their diagnosis. They wanted to make friends and they wanted help to get and keep a job. Rise and Shine Pastured Eggs was developed to use regenerative agriculture principles whilst providing meaningful opportunities to people who have faced barriers to workforce inclusion. This is what supported employment can look like: 🥚Engaged, dedicated and happy employees 🥚Productive work at award wages https://lnkd.in/graCH7n3

This year, the theme for the 2024 International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPwD) is a call to action: "Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future." At Ability Agriculture Foundation, we are proud to embody this theme every day. With 85% of our board identifying as persons with disabilities or as direct family members, and each of us living and working in rural and regional Australia, we bring firsthand experience, resilience, and innovation to the table. The agricultural sector thrives on diversity, yet how often do we see people with disabilities in leadership roles within our ag organisations? It’s time to not only ask this question but also act on the answers. We want to hear from you: 👉 How can agricultural organisations better include and amplify the voices of leaders with disabilities in shaping the future of our industry? 👉 What changes are needed to ensure genuine representation in decision-making at all levels? A key vision of Ability Agriculture is to build industry inclusion and disability confidence together in agriculture. #IDPwD2024 #InclusiveAgriculture #Leadership #AbilityAgriculture #SustainableFutures #collaboration

Today is International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) We thought we'd share Marcus Dadd who is an ambassador for IdPWD this year, his video put together by the Department of Social Services As Marcus says "Agriculture as an industry needs a real diversity of skills, there's that awareness and understanding of people being more accepting of persons with disability in agriculture." Today if you can raise the conversation of inclusion in agriculture just by watching Marcus' video or a video from our audiovisual library on our website https://lnkd.in/gk9HjpkJ in your agricultural workplace then it's a small step towards enabling a greater conversation of inclusion for persons with disability and impairments in agriculture. #idpwd #abilityagriculture

🌟 A conversation with Dr Temple Grandin Event reminder🌟 📅 12th December ⏰ Time: 12PM AEDT 📍 Online Webinar - join us from the office or the paddock We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming event co-hosted by Ability Agriculture in collaboration with Farmers for Climate Action. Join us for an informative webinar featuring the renowned Dr. Temple Grandin, a pioneer in agriculture, animal welfare, and autism advocate. 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gUpmGZyc 🌾 #AbilityAgriculture #FarmersForClimateAction #TempleGrandin #InclusiveAgriculture #Sustainability #SaveTheDate #Idpwd

🌾⭐️ An important opportunity if you’re a small or large agribusiness and would like to contribute to Ability Agriculture’s survey to understand industry attitudes and practices around supported employment and employees with disability or impairments Access the survey below and please share to your networks. Thank you to Rimfire Resources for partnering with Ability Agriculture to gather important data and information for our community and agricultural industry. #abilityagriculture #rimfireresources

"Chris and Peter Busch are third-generation farmers who live and work on Gunaikurnai land in Gippsland. The brothers attended different schools due to their deafness, and have both embraced unique lifestyles. One focuses on organic farming, while the other pursues an off-grid lifestyle and volunteers with the local Country Fire Authority (CFA). Their story reflects a profound love for the countryside. Humans of the Australian Deaf Community is the second series of Our Deaf Ways - a video podcast created by SBS and Deaf Australia for Deaf, DeafBlind and hard of hearing people who use Auslan, but we also invite hearing people to watch and listen." Published by SBS x Deaf Australia Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia Deaf Australia Inc https://lnkd.in/gha6dCmm

Shout out to Beef + Lamb New Zealand for re-iterating their commitment to accessibility, and on the launch of their online accessibility tool to make people's experiences of their website even better! This has made my day as I sit and read Kylie Brewer's Kelloggs Report on 'Do Current Extension Practices in New Zealand Cater for Farmers with Dyslexia?', and further dive into the importance of ensuring that we are creating a sector that is providing opportunity for all. The accessibility tool is something you may have seen on other websites but can give many options to make accessing information more user-friendly and focused like use of a screen reader, dyslexia-friendly fonts, bigger text, wider spacing between text and lines, and more! Check it out for yourself and have a play. It's a great insight into seeing how other access needs can be catered for, or getting a view into what others access needs look like. Just like how we talk to farmers about the idea of continual improvement, the importance of planning and staying on the journey, our commitment to accessibility in rural communication, extension and consultancy is no different. It's not about being perfect now but seeking to be better than we have been in the past, and continue to push to be better into the future. It's awesome to see a key part of B+LNZ accessibility strategy is to produce multimedia resources. This is a great way to prioritise the various learning styles of visual, aural/auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic. They do this through: Podcasts – which have been made shorter and adapted them for different literacy levels. Videos – also made shorter and included timestamps so users can jump to sections of interest. Online learning modules – providing a great alternative to attending an in-person event. Text message services (lucerne management, Pasture Pests, Facial Eczema alerts) which enable getting brief, relevant information direct into farmers’ hands. Awesome work B+LNZ!!