Farmer Given Assistance to Continue What He Knows Best
Nestled away from the roaring sound of traffic, on the bottom of a hill is the agriculture operation of Todd Stainer. His enterprise consists of beef, sheep, cash cropping, and logging. Stainer works 420 tillable acres of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa; sufficient feed is kept for the animals and the rest is then sold.
His beef operation consists of 22 beef steers, 8 bulls, and 12 heifers. Steers are finished on the farm and sold, heifers are kept for breeding purposes, and bulls are sold privately. There are roughly 150 sheep, 75 ewes, and 85 lambs. Most of the sheep are sold as breeding stock. His children have been active in showing at both county fair and the Minnesota and Wisconsin State Fairs, and have competed on the State 4- H livestock judging team. The family takes pride in showing and the children are the fourth generation showing at their county fair. The farm is truly a family operation: no additional help is hired, and the family works together to do the chores.
![IMG_6825[2]](http://agrability.bse.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/148/2015/02/IMG_68252.jpg)
Logging came into the picture when Stainer was only 15 years old. He purchased 80 acres and some machinery. He is the third generation of loggers and is in the process of transitioning his son into the operation.
In October 2010, Stainer was out with his logging crew cutting a tree when it suddenly snapped and rolled onto his legs. The tree crushed his left leg, causing his left leg to be amputated below the knee. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever which also caused some minor health issues.
AgrAbility came into play when injuries from his accident was causing him difficulties with his farm tasks. “If it wasn’t for AgrAbility, I wouldn’t be farming,” Stainer said regarding his experience with AgrAbility. He worked with Jeff Kratochwill, who is a farm rehabilitation specialist with the Easter Seals FARM team. Jeff said about his experience working with Stainer, “Todd has expanded the operation in terms of enterprises and total acreage. In meeting with him, it was obvious that he wanted to remain actively involved in completing the day-to-day tasks of the farm despite the limitations resulting from his accident. With the accommodations we developed together, he will continue to do the things that he loves and most likely will be able to transition the farm to fully involve his children one day.”
The accommodation that is appreciated the most is the Case Maxxum 115 tractor. Because his left leg is amputated from the knee down, Stainer was experiencing difficulties with shifting gears. The Case tractor has all hand controls. Also to accommodate the same limitations, he has a step attachment for his skid steer. This makes it easier for him to access his machinery.
The logging operation is more diverse now than it was in the past. It is considered an average log farm and has been used more for the last 20 years. Of the wood that Stainer’s business processes, 70% is shipped to Japan, and 30% is for specialty uses such as furniture, veneer and even pallets.
Stainer never once thought that he couldn’t go back to farming. “You have to look at the positives, re-group and do what you can. I like seeing progress, and I like what I am doing,” Stainer said. Now his work is primarily managing and acquiring contracts within the logging business. He now has partners with others who do more of the manual work.
Doing what he knows best has kept Stainer involved and open minded. “I don’t know anything else but farming, and farming is what I will continue on to do.”
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days August
12-14,2014 Feltz Family Farm/Blue Top Farms
5796 Porter Drive, Stevens Point 54482
The Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is the largest agricultural show in Wisconsin and one of the largest in the nation. The three day outdoor event showcases the latest improvements in production agriculture, including many practical applications of recent research findings and technological developments. Each year, it is held in a different Wisconsin county on a different host family farm.
Portage County is excited to be hosting the 2014 Farm Technology Days. Blue Top Farms and Feltz Family Farms are located east of Plover, south of Highway HH. Additional land is being used for field demonstrations and is made possible through neighboring growers; Myron Soik and Sons, Inc. and Greg Kizewski and Sons, Inc.
AgrAbility of Wisconsin will be in the Progress Pavilion this year which is at the interception of Central Ave and 6th Street. If you are at the show we would be excited for you to stop by and meet our staff and share your story.
Handicapped parking will be along the west side of tent city (between County Highway Rand the grounds). With a handicap parking tag, people will be directed to these parking areas. If you are in need of Mobility Carts for Farm Technology Days, Vista Mobility Specialists will have them located near the handicap entrance, between admission gates A and B. Reservations can be made by calling 877-588-4782, or by visiting http:// vistamobility.netj and selecting Scooter Reservations.
Thank you Nolan Anderson!
Nolan Anderson, a longtime supporter of the AgrAbility of Wisconsin Project, will be returning this summer as the Dane County Extension Agriculture Agent. We would like to wish him all the best and thank him for his commitment to serving farmers with disabilities in Dane County and southern Wisconsin.
Alan Gilberson
vocational rehabilitation counselor
For the past 15 years, I have been employed as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the Wisconsin DVR. We assist people with disabilities in obtaining, maintaining, and improving employment. One group of individuals that we assist are farmers who have incurred disabilities that are hindering their abilities to perform some or all of their farm chores.
During these years, I have assisted approximately 30-40 farmers in being able to continue with their farm operations. My area includes Dunn, Pierce and St. Croix Counties in West-Central Wisconsin. Although I did not have a farm background, my grandfather, father, and uncles did perform farming chores. My grandfather had immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 17 back in 1883 and settled in Jackson County. While my dad did not remain in farming, my uncles did, and purchased their own farms. So, I have a good understanding of farming conditions -the physical as well as dangerous work that needs to be performed.
When a farmer applies to DVR, it does take persuasion at times from the counselor to get the farmer to open up and describe the disabilities. Farmers are a proud group and do not like to share what they can no longer do without the pains, etc. I have found that getting to know more about the farmer, the farm, and family prior to discussing the problem issues does allow them time to get to know me. No one likes to talk about what we have difficulty doing, or our ,disabilities, but the more I learn, the more both I and the Easter Seals/AgrAbility Farm Specialist will be a le to determine the rehabilitation technologies that will benefit the farmer on the farm.
As a DVR counselor, I like to meet with the Farm Specialist at the farmer’s farm, and participate in · the initial farm assessment. This usually takes 2-3 hours of time during the day. Once the farm assessment has been completed, and the problem areas and necessary rehabilitation technologies are identified, I will then arrange to meet with the Farm Specialist at the farm and discuss the findings and recommendations. Once there is agreement on the needs, I will, as a counselor, provide the financial assistance by placing the orders for the items with the vendors who have submitted bids. WI DVR is obliged to use the lowest estimate obtained.
When all items have been obtained by the farmer, I will then arrange a date and time to meet at the farm to observe the items that have been purchased by WI DVR. This allows me the opportunity to discuss the items obtained, as well as their benefits in making farm chores easier for the farmer. It is the expectation of WI DVR that the items obtained will allow the farmer to continue his farm operations, thus being able to provide for the family.
AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit Recap
AgrAbility’s program’s success and resources were highlighted during its annual Summit on May 8 in Sparta, Wisconsin. Speakers addressed issues ranging from farm succession planning to available state and county resources. Jo
y Kirkpatrick, the Outreach Specialist for the UW Center for Dairy Profitability, talked about dealing with the 5 D’s (Death, Disability, Disaster, Divorce and Disagreement). She described the tough situations farmers face especially in a multi- generational operation. Bill Halfman and Steven Huntzicker spoke about UW Extension resources and highlighted projects and research going on in western Wisconsin. Renae Anderson and Mark Mulder spoke about FSA and NRCS resources and programs available to farmers. Jill Makovec spoke about the importance of sharing your story and ways people can be proactive in educating and creating awareness for their operations across Wisconsin. If you would like more information regarding the AgrAbility of Wisconsin Summit and contact information for any of the speakers please contact our office:
608-262-9336 or email: aaw@mailplus.wisc.edu.
Next spring the AAW Summit will be held at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin.
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This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under special project number 2014-41590-22330. UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming including Title IX and ADA. If you need this material in another format, please contact AgrAbility of Wisconsin at (608) 262-9336. |
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