COLUMBUS — Manually operating a lever that worked a grain distribution system on his farm was becoming more and more difficult for Bob Schwinn as he aged. Schwinn lost an arm in a farm accident when he was 6 years old.
However, that did not stop him from farming. Schwinn, his son and his nephew currently operate a grain farm in New London, Ohio. Over the past 50 years, some tasks involved with his grain bins have become more difficult.
“It had gotten to the point where I could not turn the distributor all the time that I needed to,” Schwinn said.
That’s when Ohio AgrAbility stepped in to provide some assistance.
Ohio AgrAbility is a collaborative effort between Ohio State University and state agencies to develop accommodations and modifications for farmers affected by a debilitating condition.
As the average age of Ohio farmers increases, many face the risk of chronic illness and job-related accidents that might reduce their capacity to continue earning a living. However, for those who want to continue farming, AgrAbility helps them keep working at a job they love.
Getting started
Schwinn first heard about AgrAbility from a grain bin builder in Napoleon, Ohio. He asked the company if they could do anything to make the grain set-up easier for him to work with as he got older.
“I just don’t have as much strength as I used to,” Schwinn said. The company referred him to AgrAbility, which they’d previously worked with.
AgrAbility is based on a competitive four-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute on Food and Agriculture through the Farm Bill. The program requires each participating state to have two partners — a land-grant university and a nonprofit organization. Ohio State University and Easterseals Redwood partner with Ohio’s Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities to run the Ohio program.
Anyone can approach AgrAbility about getting assistance. There is no formal referral process. Laura Akgerman, disability services coordinator for Ohio State University, walks farmers through the process.
“We get some brief information over the phone regarding what they do, … where they are farming and their disability,” she said.
Farmers must have a disability to be part of the program, meaning “some kind of a limitation or a debilitating condition or a disorder that prevents them from any of their activities of daily living,” Akgerman said.
Examples of disabling conditions in agriculture include arthritis, spinal cord injuries or paralysis, back impairments, amputation, head or brain injury, visual or hearing impairments, respiratory impairments or cerebral palsy.
Farmers are then passed on to the program’s statewide rural rehabilitation coordinators, Rachel Jarman and Randy Joseph, who evaluate and assess each case and present their findings to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
Assessments include a background history, the size and scope of what the farmers do, the pieces of equipment they were using or continue to try to use and the challenges they face due to their limitations.
“Each of these farmers goes through a vetting process and must be qualified to receive services. Then we move forward from that,” Jarman said.
OOD connects farmers who have disabilities with the resources, support and opportunities that fit their unique needs, abilities and interests so that they can continue farming, and Ohio Vocational Rehabilitation provides services in partnership with hundreds of providers across Ohio. AgrAbility does not purchase equipment, pay bills or give money of any sort to the farmers.
Coordinating help
Jarman and Joseph each average one new client per month while maintaining contact with previous clients through meetings and annual events.
Several times per year previous clients are invited to a lunch to share their backstory and learn about new developments in service or technology that might benefit them in some capacity.
Akgerman and Jarman spend a lot of time working on originating farmer contacts and trying to increase awareness about the services offered. They work to inform different hospital groups, occupational therapists and people working in inpatient rehab in rural areas. They also talk to county extension agents, farm bureaus, USDA offices and other places where farmers may gather.
Many Ohio farmers attending the Farm Science Review during September are offered the opportunity to stop by the AgrAbility booth to reconnect with the staff, gather new information or simply get answers to questions.
“We always ask them to come to the AgrAbility booth, hang out and spend time with us,” Jarman said. That time also serves as an opportunity for networking.
“A farmer that’s been served by AgrAbility is sitting with us when someone comes in with a question and I can say, ‘Oh, you’re looking for a lift? This guy sitting right there has a lift. He can tell you all about it.’”
Making an impact
Even farmers who may not qualify for OOD services benefit from a meeting with AgrAbility. Jarman visited a client who explained various tasks she wanted to continue doing after breaking her back, however, she didn’t meet OOD’s requirement that she earned minimum wage for the hours she worked.
“I went out and made notes about different things that she was doing and then I went home and I researched what I would call low-level tech and assistive technologies,” Jarman said. “I was able to send her a list of 10 or 15 things that she could improve on her farm at her pace and with her budget to make her life a little easier.”
Jarman understands the value of relationships and responsiveness in her role with AgrAbility.
“A huge mission of mine since getting this job has been, if and when you do need my services, you know who to call,” she said. “It’s reassuring to know the work we’re doing is working.”
Custom Agri Systems, a grain bin builder, reworked the grain distribution system at Schwinn’s farm by replacing manually operated cables with an electrically controlled system allowing distribution to be controlled from a push-button board.
“It was so nice this fall to go in there and push a button and it turned it,” Schwinn said.
The collaboration between AgrAbility, OOD and Custom Agri Systems extended Schwinn’s farm career.
“They all worked together and all made it happen,” he said. “I am truly very thankful, very blessed and very appreciative of what they’ve done for me. I wouldn’t have the stuff today if it wasn’t for AgrAbility. I have the highest regard for Rachel and the others at AgrAbility, and I’m just very thankful and appreciative.”
For more information on Ohio AgrAbility, visit agrability.osu.edu.
