NC AgrAbility, a program aimed at helping farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities, provided a way back to productivity for David Dyson, helping him to get a modified ATV after he became a quadriplegic. The 41-year-old Lee County farmer struck a sandbar while diving into the Black River during a family get-together in 2017.

“I was able to get a modified ATV and I’m working with them on getting a new wheelchair,” Dyson said.

And it was a lifeline for Suzanne Ramsey, who felt alone as she struggled to work on her Rowan County farm with a leg that was severely injured years ago. “I felt like there were other people that needed the help more than I did, and I really felt embarrassed to even ask for help,” she said. "They helped me to understand that that's not the case at all.”

Now, thanks to a new partnership with SAS Institute and its analytics tool SAS Viya^®, NC AgrAbility will be able to reach the farmers it is tasked with helping more strategically.

“We're going back through our databases and our records and data mining,” said Crystal Cook-Marshall, Ph.D., director of NC AgrAbility, which is headquartered at N.C. A&T State University. “Who have we been serving? Where have we been serving them? What have their issues been? What kind of service have we given to them?

“SAS Viya is able to quickly and cohesively upload information that is in very different formats, and then analyze the information,” Cook-Marshall said. “(SAS Viya^®) can bring all that together and make it tell a story of what we've been up to, and that will help us figure out what we ought to be doing going forward.

“It also helps us tell a story of how we've been at service,” Cook-Marshall said, noting that that information will be helpful for grant applications. She hopes to access a four-year, $720,000 grant later this year, if it is renewed by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The collaboration with SAS is partly due to a $1 million allocation from the N.C. General Assembly and is one of several projects at A&T’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The data output will adhere to privacy laws, Cook-Marshall said. “I don't need individualized data. I need to know how many males, how many females — demographic kinds of data, ability kinds of data. It's not person-specific.”

USDA NIFA launched the national AgrAbility program in 1991. It aims to improve the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and farmworkers with disabilities by recommending assistive technologies, modifications to work environments and accommodations.

A 2019 USDA report found that about 19 percent of America’s farmers had a disability at some point between 2008 and 2016, with higher rates of disability among those living in the South.

Ramsey, whose leg was crushed by a forklift, said AgrAbility not only helped her get a Gator and other assistive devices, but its people also took time to see her individual needs.

“They listen carefully to what your particular situation is. I just can’t tell you how grateful I was for that,” said Ramsey, 63, noting that people with disabilities often are clustered into groups and individual needs aren’t always recognized.

The information produced by the SAS Viya^® platform — which will continue compiling data collected in the future — will help inform extension agents of trends within their counties so they can be more responsive, Cook-Marshall said.

“We already know, for example, that arthritis is an issue for aging farmers,” she said.

AgrAbility’s services could even help people with disabilities who aren’t farmers.

Dyson, whose Blueberry Hill Farm near Sanford features a u-pick option, said he is working with Cook-Marshall to modify his farm so people with disabilities can access it.

“For people to be able to pick blueberries and blackberries and flowers and grapes, we're looking at putting some infrastructure in, like some sidewalks and mobile pads for people to walk on,” Dyson said.

“The team at A&T has been extremely helpful and they should be a good role model for the rest of the country,” he said.

Cook-Marshall praised SAS in its efforts, as well. “It’s been great to work with them,” she said. “We’re very thankful for their support.”