Carl Palmer is a happy man.
His goal for the past eight years has been to set up an organization in all 10 provinces where disabled farmers can talk to each other.
He accomplished that on Feb. 21 with a meeting of the Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry in Nanaimo, B.C., which welcomed the British Columbia branch, the last provincial branch to join the national network.
“We’re feeling very pleased,” said Palmer, a Nova Scotia farmer who needs two canes to walk.
The registry has about 400 names in it and Palmer said two-thirds of them were disabled in farm accidents rather than vehicle accidents or chronic health conditions.
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He said some injured farmers choose not to be identified in the registry.
“They say, ‘just leave me alone. I’m happy the way I am.’ Some can go for years unnoticed. They just shove their mangled hand in their pocket.”
However, Palmer urges such people to join the registry. It offers a support group for the weeks immediately after an injury, but also is a forum where farmers can share practical ideas of how to modify their machinery or adjust farm practices.
While the national group gets no money directly from the federal government, Palmer said it has been promised $50,000 this year from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. It raises about an equal amount of money annually from machinery and insurance companies. Palmer said the national registry also has a charitable status so donations can receive a tax receipt.
Palmer has been chair of the registry since it developed in January 1997 and said he will stay on for now. The registry’s next annual meeting will be next December or January in the London, Ont., area.