Len Vonderhaar has been farming corn and soybeans in Preble County since 1962. Each year his love has only grown for his around 2,000-acre utopia.
“We just, we live in a paradise right here in the Midwest,” he said.
One of his greatest joys is being out in the field, working alongside his son and grandson. At 87 years old, he’s never once considered stopping.
“I get tired, but not retired,” Vonderhaar said. “I probably would never [retire] unless I'm forced to sit back or settle down. I enjoy getting out every day.”
But, an incident ten years ago put a wrench in that plan: Vonderhaar suffered a severe spine injury. Suddenly, he couldn’t operate the farm equipment he had used for years.
Injuries, like Vonderhaar’s, or chronic conditions, like arthritis or diabetes, slow Ohioans down as they age. For farmers, these physical disabilities can threaten their livelihood.
The Ohio AgrAbility Program is working to keep them out in the fields. The Ohio State University Extension program partners with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and the non-profit Easterseals Redwood to connect farmers, like Vonderhaar, to free assistive technology.
Keeping farmers in the field
On a cold and windy afternoon, Vonderhaar peered up at his combine. The farm machinery towers at about 10 feet tall. Its steep and narrow steps have been too difficult for Vonderhaar to climb since his back surgery.
But, each September, he’s still able to harvest, thanks to a mechanical lift.
“See this button right here?” he said, pressing it down. “You just raise yourself up.”
Ohio AgrAbility installed the combine lift for him, free of charge. Program director Laura Ackgerman said it’s not a hand-out.
“Our food does not come from the grocery store. It comes from a farmer,” she said. “We need them to continue growing.”
Agriculture is a taxing occupation. Heavy machinery makes farming an inherently dangerous profession: 1 out of 14 Ohio farm families experience a farm-related injury each year, according to the program.
On top of that, the agricultural workforce is aging and dealing with things like arthritis and diabetes. The average age of an Ohio farmer is 58, according to an analysis of the USDA Census.
AgrAbility coordinators educate disabled farmers on their options, Ackgerman said. Having trouble moving livestock? A calf cart puts less strain on your back. Wrists hurt when you rake? They can install a robo-handle to ease the pain.
“It's too easy to focus on what you can't do. They know exactly what they can't do. I wanna talk about what you can do,” she said.
New beginnings
This adaptive tech helps around 20 Ohio farmers each year. It’s provided by coordinators who come from agricultural backgrounds and understand the specific needs that come with planting and tending to livestock.
“It's a way of life, it is a culture, it is truly something that you understand more if you do it yourself,” said Rachel Jarman, one of Agrability’s rural rehabilitation coordinators and a farmer herself. “I understand the necessity of needing to get back out there, even though your life may have severely changed.”
25-year old Kane Lewis always knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a farmer in West Portsmouth. But, when he became a paraplegic after a hunting accident at 19, that dream felt far away.
“When I had the surgery, my doctor [asked me], ‘What's your major?’ And I said, ‘Agriculture.’ And he goes, ‘Well, you probably should switch it because a guy in a wheelchair will never be able to have a job in agriculture,’” Lewis recalled.
He wasn’t deterred. He tried using a forklift at home to get in his tractor, but he didn’t feel safe. Agrability coordinators installed a lift on his truck that could bring him onto any piece of machinery and got him a motorized wheelchair that easily rolls across soil.
The program didn’t just allow Lewis to harvest, it gave him independence. That’s a quality, he said, that every farmer values.
“Man, it's saved my life, I guess is the best way to put it,” Lewis said. “I live life now. I'm not just getting through it. I live life.”
