Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced the restoration of funding for the Maine AgrAbility program. This announcement follows reports that the University of Maine (UMaine) was unable to draw down funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)—which funds the Maine AgrAbility program—without any notice from the federal agency.
“The Maine AgrAbility program has helped hundreds of workers across our state prevent serious injuries by providing training and technical assistance that help make high-risk jobs safer,” said Senator Collins. “I am glad that, following my discussions with Administration officials, this critical funding has been released so UMaine and its partners can continue to provide valuable guidance to our farmers, fishermen, and foresters.”
According to UMaine, the Maine AgrAbility program serves more than 1,600 workers in Maine’s heritage industries, supporting numerous efforts, such as providing safety training to loggers on best practices to prevent slips, trips, and falls on the work site, reducing the risk of injury and helping to lower the rates of their workers’ compensation coverage.
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