Kristi Grove: “AgrAbility Keeps Farmers Like Me Farming”
Grove Cattle, Carolina Country Magazine Cover, Randy Berger Photography
Kristi Grove was born with optic nerve atrophy. As a child, she attended the North Carolina School for the Blind in Raleigh during the summers. “It was hard for me when I was young,” she says. Today, North Carolina AgrAbility is here to help Grove, who operates Grove Cattle Company with her husband, Dan, near Bailey.
The Groves raise Texas Longhorns, selling breeding and roping stock, as well as rodeo steers. They also sell packaged and labeled grass-fed beef. Kristi and Dan also have a young daughter, Leah.
NC AgrAbility helped her obtain specialized equipment, and Grove also relies on her iPhone. “I use the magnifier on my phone to unlock the cattle gate,” she says.
Grove wears readers to enlarge print, and glasses with binocular lenses allow her to drive, although she has a restricted license.
Betty Rodriguez, director of North Carolina AgrAbility, says, “AgrAbility is the hub to help farmers get information and services.”
In addition to farming, Grove also teaches riding lessons and operates educational camps for kids to learn about farming. “AgrAbility keeps farmers like me farming,” Grove says.