2025 AgrAbility National Training Workshop
March 24-27 | Las Cruces, New Mexico
Registration is open for the 2025 AgrAbility National Training Workshop!
March 24-27 | Las Cruces, New Mexico
The AgrAbility National Training Workshop is the premier training event addressing issues of disability in agriculture.
Professionals and consumers from all over the country participate in four days of plenary sessions, breakouts, tours, networking, and special events.
The 2025 conference is March 24th– 27th, 2025. We will be staying at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces and holding our pre-conference and welcome reception there. The two main conference days will be held at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.
If you would like to submit a poster proposal, please use the link below. Submissions are due by Jan. 3rd, 2025.
Please click on the Registration tab for more information.
Post-Conference: Thursday, March 28th: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Lunch included with the fee for all tours – Tours subject to change
OPTION 1 (Full Day Tour) 8 am-4:30 pm
Tour the White Sands National Park, The Museum of Space History, and Pistachioland (a pistachio farm and tourist attraction). $85 fee
OPTION 2 – (Full Day Tour) 8 am-4:30 pm
Tour the NMSU Equine Therapy program, the NMSU Meat Lab, and the Santa Teresa Cattle Border Crossing $75 fee
OPTION 3 (Full Day Tour) 8 am- 4:30 pm
Tour the NMSU Chili Pepper Institute, a Dairy Farm and a Cheese Processing Plant. $75 fee
Schedule
Schedule subject to change
Monday, March 24th: 8 am – 6 pm at the Hotel Encanto
Pre-conference sessions
- 9 am – 4:30 pm: Mental Health First Aid
- 1 pm – 4 pm: New Staff Training
- 1 pm – 4 pm: Worksite Assessment, Secondary Injury, and AT Selection- $25 fee
- 1 pm – 4 pm: Offsite Tour
- 4:30 pm – 6 pm: Poster Session and Reception
Tuesday, March 25th: 8 am – 5 pm at The NM Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
- 8 am – 9 am: Opening Conference Session
- 9:15 am – 10:15 am: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Farming Like it’s 2025
- Who’s Got Your BACK? We do!
- Everyone is welcome! Proactively Ensuring Accessible Sites and Facilities at All of Your Agricultural and Outreach Events
- Leadership, Management, and AgrAbility
- 10:15 am – 10:45 am Break
- 10:45 am – 12:15 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Principles of Adult Learning that Influence Adoption of Reminder Apps and Empowering the Fields: Smart Phone Accessibility for Farmers
- A Legacy of Resilience-An In-Depth Look at the Stories of Farmers and Ranchers Along with the Impact, Challenges, and Successes of Behavioral Health Services Supporting Colorado’s Agricultural Producers
- Rural Preparedness: Strategies and Resources to Help Strengthen the Resilience of Families and Communities
- A Lens into the Lives of Farmers with Disabilities Through Photovoice
- Outdoor SHow and Tell
- 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm : Lunch
- 1:45 pm – 2:30 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- AgrAbility During Disaster–Considerations for Farmer, Farmworker, and Field Agent Response and Care
- Why Do My Hands Hurt and What Can I Do About It?
- ExtraOrdinary Days in the Ring
- Targeting Youth Populations in Ag Programming
- 2:40 pm – 3:40 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Small Farm Solar Applications
- Gearing Up for Youth: Arthritis Prevention and Stress Management
- Farmworker Health 101
- A Deep Dive into Working Waterfront Cultural Competencies
- 3:40 pm – 4:00 pm: Break
- 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Ergonomic Friendly Farming
- Farm Dinner Theaters: A Cultural Community Development Approach to Farm Safety and Mental Health Education
- Farming with Purpose: How the New Mexico AgrAbility Project Supports Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities through Adaptive Apprenticeship
- Vocational Rehabilitation Panel
- 6:00 pm Banquet and Auction with Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, March 26th: 8 am – 5 pm
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Virtual Reality as a Means to Inclusive Participation
- Collaborating for Impact: Strengthening Call Centers and Helplines for Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Workers
- Make an Impact: The How-To’s of Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Media Campaigns
- Rural State, Lean Team. Working Strategically to meet Maine’s Agricultural Needs
- 9:10 am – 10:10 am: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Bee Calm Bee Well
- Master’s Students’ Exploration of Musculoskeletal Injuries Affecting Ranchers and Food Growers
- Sustainability for SRAPs- A Report from the AgrAbility Supplemental Funding Workgroup
- International Panel
- 10:10 am – 10:40 am: Break
- 10:40 am – 12:10 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Are you looking ahead? Strategies to Incorporate Low Vision into Your Everyday Assessment and Low-vision Smartphone AT
- From Loss to Resilience-The Science of Grief
- AgrAbility Quality of Life Profile Transitions and Relations to Independent Living and Working and Update on Economic Impacts of AgrAbility Study
- Highlighting the Legacy Innovation Farming Economics Project and Discussion of Current Issues Facing Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
- 12:10pm – 1:40pm: Lunch
- 1:40pm – 2:40 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Indoor AT Show and Tell
- Combating Heat and Cold Stress
- Critical Conversations: Farmer/Farmworker Stressors and Collaborative Information Exchange
- Veteran Support “Where are you in your State”-Tips and Tricks
- 2:50 pm – 3:50 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Accessible Farm Shops
- Naloxone Training: Responding to Opioid Overdose
- PI session
- Partnerships: TN AgrAbility Helps Veterans Succeed with the TN New Farmer Academy and the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Tennessee
- 3:50 pm – 4:15 pm: Break
- 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm: Conference Breakout Sessions
- Legal Issues Related to Farm Injuries
- Managing Arthritis for Women in Agriculture
- The Growing Worker Shortage, and the Healthful Healing of Working with Your Hands
- Working with Non-Profits
- Dinner on your own
Thursday, March 27th: 8 am – 4 pm
Conference Tours
$75-$85 Fee, lunch included on full day tours – More information on the Offsite tab
Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces
705 Telshor Blvd.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Phone: 866-383-0443
We have a block of rooms set aside at the rate of $110 per night plus $10 amenity fee and taxes. To make reservations, you can click on the hotel name here: Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces. Please scroll to the bottom once you have pulled up the rooms, if you need an accessible room. Alternatively, individuals may contact the reservations team directly at (866) 383-0443 and provide the group code: 2503AGRABI.
The hotel block closes on February 21, 2025.
There are some rooms at the Hotel Encanto that have a walk-in shower with an approximate 1in lip in a bathroom that would be big enough for a wheelchair to move around. It does not have grab bars in the shower or at the toilet. The video below shows the bathroom. If you need an accessible room and think that this will work for you, please contact Tess McKeel at tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org or 585-447-9015.
If the accessible rooms are booked at the Hotel Encanto, and you don’t think the alternative room at the Hotel Encanto will work for you, we have rooms reserved at the Comfort Suites-University and Sleep Inn-University. Please reach out to Tess McKeel if you need one of these rooms, tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org or 585-447-9015.
The hotels do not have a shuttle from the airport. Please see the Travel tab for transportation information.
Registration
Registration is open!! Click Here
Earlybird pricing ends February 21st, 2025 at 4 pm ET. Registration ends March 17th, 2025
- Earlybird Conference Registration Fee- ends 2/21/25 at 4 pm (does not include Thursday Tour Fee): $400
- Late Registration Fee After 2/21/25 at 4 pm (does not include Thursday Tour Fee): $450
- Farmer/Rancher Registration Fee (does not include Thursday Tour Fee): $325
- Student Registration Fee (does not include Thursday Tour Fee): $200
- One Day Registration Fee – Tuesday (includes banquet): $285
- One Day Registration Fee – Tuesday (without banquet): $225
- One Day Registration Fee – Wednesday: $225
- One Day Farmer/Rancher Registration Fee – Tuesday (includes banquet): $285
- One Day Farmer/Rancher Registration Fee – Wednesday: $225
- One Day Student Registration Fee – Tuesday (includes banquet): $150
- One Day Student Registration Fee – Tuesday: $100
- Tuesday Evening Banquet Only Fee: $60
- Thursday Agricultural Tour Fee: $75-$85 (includes lunch)
- Thursday Guest Tour Fee (for those attending with a full conference participant): $75-$85 (includes lunch)
- Commercial Exhibitor Fee: $600 includes full registration for 1 person
- Non-Profit Exhibitor Fee: $500 includes full registration for 1 person
- State/Regional AgrAbility Project Exhibitor Fee: $75
- Monday Pre-Conference Session – Worksite and Secondary Injury Assessment and Documentation – Fee: $25
- Monday Pre-Conference Session- Mental Health First Aid – Fee: $50
Early bird registration ends February 21st at 4 pm; after that date, full registration fee will be $450. Registration closes March 17th. There will be no on-site registration.
Cancellation Policy
Full refunds are available before February 28th. Between February 28th and March 14th, you will incur a $100 processing fee. Cancellations after March 14th are not eligible for a refund. Please contact Tess McKeel at (585) 447-9015 with any questions.
If you would prefer to register by mail, you may print the 2025 NTW registration form below.
2025 NTW Paper Registration Form
Travel
El Paso International Airport 
The closest airport is the El Paso International Airport. The airport is about a 1 hour ride by car. Rental cars, taxis and shared ride services are easily available from the airport.
There is a bus that runs from El Paso to Las Cruces for $3 each way. You will have to take a taxi/Uber etc from the airport to the downtown transit center in El Paso. This is approximately 7.6 miles. The bus will drop off at 2 different locations in las Cruces- The Mesilla Valley Transit Center or the corner of Stewart Ave and Arrowhead Dr. on the NMSU campus. Both drop off locations are approximately 2.5 miles from the hotel. You will then need to take a taxi/Uber etc to the hotel. Click here for more information on the bus.
At My Door Shuttle Website
$95 – the first rider flat rate for a one-way trip
$20 – the cost of each additional rider in your party
$50 – the after-hours fee for rides outside our 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. window
Disclaimer: All shuttle rides need to be paid 48hrs before pick up time or the shuttle will be canceled midnight the day before. The $95 shuttle is a shared shuttle with another client.
Visit Las Cruces is working on some additional transportation options.
Sponsors
Information is available for sponsorship opportunities HERE.
If you would like to pay for your sponsorship by credit card, more information will be coming soon.
Contact JoBeth Rath at 585.402.2059 or jbrath@goodwillfingerlakes.org or Tess McKeel at 585.447.9015 or tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org for questions or more information.
Stipends
Travel Stipends are available to help farmers/ranchers with disabilities come to the 2025 NTW in New Mexico.
Any farmer/rancher impacted by disability and interested in having a stipend to attend this year’s NTW must fill out the Google Form below. If they can’t fill out the form online themselves, have them call Chuck Baldwin at (574) 306-7329 and Chuck will fill the form out for them as they respond to questions over the phone. Following an established priority protocol, stipends will be given first-come, first-served. So please don’t wait until the January 10 deadline to get those stipend application forms filled out. Priority will be given to first-time applicants.
Important points for stipend applicants:
- This year, all stipend applicants will be notified of their stipend no later than January 24. After receiving confirmation of the stipend the applicant will be required to pay a non-refundable $100 toward their NTW registration to Goodwill of the Finger Lakes prior to receiving permission to purchase their airfare or to participate in the NTW. Once the $100 partial registration is received, the stipend recipient will be notified that they have been registered for the NTW and that they can now purchase their airfare or prepare other means of travel and make plans to attend.
- Stipend applicants are NOT to register for the NTW: the NAP will take care of registering them once a decision has been made that they will have a stipend and they have paid their $100 portion of the registration fee.
- Stipend applicants ARE to make their own hotel reservations now in advance of receiving notification of their stipend award (or having been denied) in order to assure them availability of the room-type they need; You will need a credit card to reserve your room, but it will not be charged at this time. Hotel reservations can be made at https://tinyurl.com/mr42t2pv. Please scroll to the bottom once you have pulled up the rooms, if you need an accessible room. Alternatively, individuals may contact the reservations team directly at (866) 383-0443 and provide the group code: 2503AGRABI. If all accessible rooms at the Hotel Encanto are booked, please contact Tess McKeel at 585-447-9015 or tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org for help making those arrangements. Once the stipend recipient(s) checks in at the hotel in March, the NAP will take care of changing their hotel reservation over to the NAP’s bill. Any no-shows will be responsible to the hotel to pay for the missed night of lodging after which the NAP will cancel their reservation. All who do not receive stipends will need to pay for their own registration and lodging reservations.
- This year, a maximum amount for travel reimbursement, including baggage and parking, has been set for all stipends: $550 for mileage if traveling by car; $700 if traveling by air; $850 if traveling by air from Alaska, Hawaii, or US Territories. This may or may not cover a stipend recipient’s total travel expenses, but anything above these amounts is not included in any stipend and must be paid by the recipient.
If you have any questions you can contact Chuck Baldwin at 574.306.7329 or baldwi19@purdue.edu, or Tess McKeel at 585.447.9015 or tmckeel@goodwillfingerlakes.org
2025 Farmer/Rancher Stipend Application
Exhibitors
Exhibitors are a welcome addition to the Workshop! AgrAbility professionals, partner organizations and farmer clients are eager to learn about products and services that may be of assistance.
The 2025 NTW features exhibitor space with a great traffic pattern, allowing you to catch attendees on their way to and from sessions and meals, and during breaks! Spaces are located in the Grand Ballroom pre-function area.
$600 ($500 for non-profit exhibitor) includes the following:
- A 6’ table with chairs inside or approx 10’x6′ space with 6′ table with chairs outside under cover in the courtyard. The outside vendors will be against the same wall/windows as those inside.
- Registration for one representative
- Attendance at Conference Sessions of Interest
- Access to Session Handouts and Conference Attendee Listing
- A block of time during AT Show & Tell Session
- Name listed in program, on the website and on a slide in the ballroom
- Conference Meals including: Monday evening reception; Tuesday lunch, breaks and banquet dinner; Wednesday lunch and breaks
2025 NTW Exhibitor Application- Google form to pay with check