The idea was to form an informal peer support network of farmers and ranchers with disabilities across the nation. The list would include people who were willing to become personally involved in the lives of other individuals who could benefit from their personal experiences. For example, perhaps a farmer might like to know of others in his or her state who were farming with the same type of disability or similar farming operation. Whatever the connection, BNG wanted to draw these people together to let them know that they were not alone. The information was compiled into a directory, which is updated as new people join the network.
Agricultural production is one of the nation's most hazardous occupations.
Each year, approximately 200,000 people working in agriculture experience injuries that limit their ability to perform essential farm tasks. Tens of thousands more become disabled as a result of non-farm injuries, illnesses, other health conditions, and the aging process. Nationwide, approximately 500,000 farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers have physical disabilities that interfere with their farm work. For many of these individuals, the presence of a disability jeopardizes their rural and agricultural futures. Rural isolation, a tradition of self-reliance, and gaps in rural service delivery systems frequently prevent agricultural workers with disabilities from taking advantage of growing expertise in modifying farm operations, adapting equipment, promoting farmstead accessibility, and using assistive technologies to safely accommodate disability in agricultural and rural settings.