AgrAbility of Wisconsin
Plowing Ahead
Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families
Summer 2006
Volume 15 No. 1
Ogema Farmer is Beating the Odds
Don’t
tell Rick Eberhart he can’t do something. He will prove you wrong every
time. Growing up a city boy, he
knew farming was in his future thanks to summer visits to his uncle’s
farm. When a banker told an 18-year-old Eberhart that he wouldn’t be able
to own a farm unless he had a relative to inherit from, Eberhart took that
as a personal challenge to prove the banker wrong.
Eberhart
started out with 80 acres that had not been farmed for 18 years. Through
hard work, long hours, an off-farm job and sheer determination, Eberhart did
prove the banker wrong about his future in farming.
However, he’s experienced many obstacles on the road to owning his
now 137-acre dairy farm.
Volbrect
suggested a utility vehicle with a cab to allow Eberhart to maintain and
move
his
fence line with ease.
At a glance, Eberhart appears to have no physical ailments, but nearly five years ago, he was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia. Three months later, he received a bone marrow transplant, and doctors gave him a 20 percent chance of survival. At the time of his diagnosis, Eberhart had no energy to perform even the simplest task on his farm; just walking the length of a cattle trailer exhausted him.
After the
transplant, he spent 39 days in the hospital and only had about an hour’s
worth of energy before becoming exhausted after he returned home.
Eberhart initially called AgrAbility of Wisconsin when he was
diagnosed, but he was very apprehensive.
According to Eberhart, “I thought it was just another bunch of
people collecting a paycheck.” When
he came home from the hospital he asked himself why he was beating his head
against the wall trying to farm with his physical limitations, and decided
to sign up for AgrAbility services.
To reduce
the amount of energy needed to carry the staw bales and bed,
Volbrecht
suggested fixing the current bedding chopper
After
being added to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s (DVR) waiting
list, he was contacted by Carlene Volbrecht, Rural Rehabilitation Specialist
for the Easter Seals Wisconsin FARM Program (ESW).
“When I was finally contacted, I knew there was a light at the end
of the tunnel,” Eberhart explained.
Volbrecht
and Gwen Steele, a DVR counselor, worked together to find the assistive
technology that would work best to help Eberhart with his day-to-day activities.
Eberhart’s rotational grazing program requires maintaining and
moving fence line, as well as collecting cattle from the pasture. He had
also developed a higher sensitivity to the weather as a result of his
cancer. Thus, Volbrecht
suggested a utility vehicle with a cab.
After test-driving several models, Eberhart found the Bobcat
manufacturer’s utility vehicle worked best for entering, exiting, and
moving around the farm. Eberhart
purchased a silo unloader at an auction to eliminate the need to climb the
silo, but was unable to install it himself.
With DVR’s help, the unloader was professionally installed.
DVR also helped Eberhart purchase an electric feed cart. The electric
cart decreases the labor required to feed the cattle inside and outside.
To further assist Eberhart, a concrete pad will be added to the
barnyard. This will allow Eberhart to easily move the feed cart to feed
cattle outside.
To further
assist Eberhart, a concrete pad will be added to the barnyard.
Bedding
cattle required Eberhart to climb into the mow, drop bales into the barn
below and shake the straw out by hand. To reduce the amount of energy needed
to carry the straw bales and bed, Volbrecht suggested fixing the current
bedding chopper and installing cow mats in the barn to reduce the straw
needed on a daily basis.
With the help of AAW and DVR, Eberhart
found it was easier to complete his daily tasks.
Currently, he can work for about three and a half hours before he
needs to rest. His goal is to
continue to build up his strength so he can work longer hours doing what he
has always loved. Eberhart
admits, “If it hadn’t been for Easter Seals [AAW and DVR], I probably
would have given up.”
SAFETY
FIRST
Medications and the
Sun....
Photosensitivity,
or sensitivity to sunlight, can result due to a variety of medications and
medical conditions. The
common misperception is that photosensitivity reactions, as a result of
medications and conditions, typically occur only during summer months.
This notion, however, is false.
Photosensitivity reactions can result during anytime of the year.
Knowledge and preparation are keys to avoiding potentially harmful
effects from the sun.
Potential
reactions to the sun include various types of response.
Many people will experience a reaction similar to sunburn.
This type of reaction often occurs several hours after exposure. Others will develop a rash with intense itching.
Rash may occur promptly with exposure to the sun’s rays.
In rare cases, changes to the color of the skin may occur.
Knowledge
of when to take protective measures can result by increasing your
understanding of the medications you take.
Ask your pharmacist to discuss the potential of photosensitivity
resulting from your medication. Common
culprits include some acne products, blood pressure medications, diabetic
medications and antidepressants. These
medications can cause harmful effects with minimal exposure to he sun.
Certain classes of antibiotics may also result in increased
sensitivity.
Important
measures can be taken to avoid reactions to sunlight. You can accomplish this by minimizing the length of direct
exposure to the sun, especially during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or greater should also be worn.
An alternative or addition to sunscreen is protective clothing,
such as long sleeves, long pants, a hat and sunglasses which provide a
good barrier to the sun’s harmful rays.
Reactions
to the sun as a result of your medication can occur at anytime of the
year. Pay attention to new
medications and always remember to ask your pharmacist if exposure to the
sun is an issue. Knowledge
and preparation will help you to minimize harmful reactions.
Enjoy your time outside year-round without harmful effects that may
occur later.
Submitted by: Jeanine
L. Porter, Pharm.D., UW Madison
Partners...
Most people still have
the notion that livestock, especially dairy cows, casually graze through
pastures while providing milk for the farmers twice a day. The reality is most dairy operations raise their livestock in
confinement operations. The
animals are kept
comfortable and clean but rarely go outdoors. Farmers got away from grazing
starting in the early 1950’s
for some good reasons. First,
pastures were not managed, so production per acre was very low. Second, fencing technology lagged way behind other production
tools. Third, cattle lanes
that the animals had to travel twice a day for dairy cows became
impassable as the herd sizes increased.
All
these reasons for not grazing no longer exist.
The advent of a new management practices for pastures, improved
technology for electric fencing, and low cost reinforced lanes have
allowed area farmers to convert their operations to grazing-based
livestock farms. The early
adopters of Management Intensive Grazing (M.I.G) realized some of the
benefits that were lost livestock were switched to confinement operations.
Using M.I.G. livestock are rotated to a new paddock (a small
pasture subdivison) every 12-48 hours and do not return to the paddock
until it has re-grown to a height of 10-12 inches.
Graziers,
as these new types of grass based farmers call themselves, see three main
benefits when they switch to M.I.G. The
first benefit being lifestyle changes.
Graziers are usually looking for a lifestyle change when they make
these management changes. Once
a good grazing operation is established the family usually benefits from
some profound life changes. The
spring and fall of the year are not so hectic with so many crops to plant
and harvest. Pastures are permanent and their management is spread out
throughout the growing season so there is not the huge workload.
Work on the farm becomes more management intensive than labor
intensive. Graziers find
themselves spending their time managing animals and pasture (hence the
name Management Intensive Grazing) rather than machinery, row crops and
pesticides. Many farmers with
one disability or another find it easier to using M.I.G. because M.I.G.
does not rely on heavy labor and tractor work, it is more management and
moving simple portable fencing with step-in posts.
Some Graziers, with disabilities claim they would not be farming
today if it were not for their switch to M.I.G.
The
second benefit, which is important to anyone running a business, is that
it is a profitable way to farm. Graziers
have been producing milk on an average of $1.60 per hundred-weight cheaper
than confinement operations for 10 years running, according to the UW
Center for Dairy Profitability.
Paul
Daigle
Conservation Specialist, Marathon County
Land
Conservation Department
Past Clients and Donors Say "Thank
You" with Calf Project
The Easter Seals Wisconsin
FARM Program Calf Project is a new fund raising activity created by former
AgrAbility of Wisconsin clients interested in giving back to the program in
thanks for the help they received. The
farmers will be raising one or more calves for sale with the proceeds going to
the Easter Seals. All proceeds
will be used to supplement the work of the FARM Program.
The farmers and friends of
the program contact other farmers and business for donations of calves, feed
and cash for the purchase of calves, feed and materials for this program.
All donations of calves, goods or cash are tax deductible and Easter
Seals, a 501.c.3 organization, will provide a donation acknowledgment which
can be used for tax purposes.
The farmers involved in the
Calf Project set a first year, pilot project goal of $10,000 net proceeds for
the FARM Program. This program
allows farmers who have benefited from the FARM Program services to give back
and to ensure the program’s continuation so other farmers with disabilities
can benefit from FARM’s services.
AgrAbility
of Wisconsin Partnerships Honored
Mutual of America Foundation,
which recognizes the strength of community partnerships with their prestigious
national Community Partnership Award, honored the partnerships between Easter
Seals of Wisconsin FARM Program, the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture,
Trade and Consumer Protection on April 25, 2006 at the Madison Concourse
Hotel. Each year hundreds of
organizations across the country apply for this award, with only the top 10 in
the nation receiving recognition.
Individuals
accepting certificates for each partner included Micabil (Mike) Díaz-Martínez
and Manuel Lugo for the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation,
Secretary of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen for the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Rick Klemme for the University of
Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and Paul Leverenz for the Easter Seals FARM
Program.
Five silver coin recipients received individual recognition for their work to make the AgrAbility program successful. These individuals were Cleo Eliason and Manuel Lugo of the Division of Vocation Rehabilitation, Roger James with the Wisconsin FARM Center, Ron Schuler of the UW Cooperative Extension and Paul Leverenz of the Easter Seals of Wisconsin FARM Program. AgrAbility of Wisconsin is one of the leading state AgrAbility projects in providing direct assistance to farmers with disabilities. This is a result of the successful partnership formed by these organizations.