Grown Here at Home workshop with tips to help farmers and gardeners avoid injuries

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – If you're a farmer, or even someone who owns a garden, you'll agree that it's back-breaking work. You know that the fruits of your labor will be valuable, but if you are not careful, it can take a toll on your body.

The Roanoke Foodshed Network is hosting an online workshop called 'Feel Good on the Farm and in the Garden'.

The community is made up of various organizations concerned with agriculture and food systems in the Roanoke Valley. One of them is AgrAbility Virginia.

“In the lifting season, many farmers find it difficult to find time to relax and recover from this manual labor, so they think about the way they hold their body, their posture, and the way they bend and squat, which can tire your body. time if you're not in what is probably the nicest and most correct position,” said Garland Mason, program coordinator for AgrAbility Virginia.

The workshop will show you how, by using the right tools and implementing a few simple strategies, you can have fun doing what you love to do without seriously injuring your body, and at the same time, make those tasks difficult due to injury or disability much easier. .

“Introducing these devices designed to support body mechanics and ergonomics so you don't strain your back, allowing you to relieve specific parts of your body that may be injured, sore or exhausted and reduce the need to stretch to bend and bend. Mason said.

You will also discover ways to implement methods such as planting cover crops to minimize the need for weeding and the use of drip irrigation systems.

The workshop is free and open to the public. It will be held on Wednesday, October 26 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Lick Run Farm at 1626 Tenth Street NW in Roanoke. No registration required. You can ask questions and try the instruments.

If you are interested in learning more about AgrAbility, they will host a virtual workshop on Wednesday, October 19 at 2:00 pm You will hear success stories from people who have participated in the program and you will be able to ask questions. Click here to go to the virtual presentation.