AgBioResearch

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — When Mike de Schaaf, the farm manager at Michigan State University’s Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC), heard about a worker whom a local grower recommended for a position at the farm, he didn’t have a chance to call the candidate before meeting him.

“Before I had a chance to call Cade back, he came through the door and said, ‘Hi, I’m here looking for a job,’” de Schaaf said. “I really appreciated his initiative to seek out this opportunity.”

As it turned out, Cade Krieger, who originally grew his passion for agriculture through the National FFA Organization, already had a connection at SWMREC. He was enrolled in a prior Zoom class on vegetable production taught by Ben Phillips, a vegetable crops educator with MSU Extension who’s based at the center.

“When Cade began working at SWMREC, he said he was in my class, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’” Phillips said. “At that point, it had to have been about two years.”

Krieger uses a wheelchair, and as he prepared for his first day at SWMREC, he was joined by Ned Stoller, an agricultural engineer and assistive technology specialist with AgrAbility.

Implemented in the 1990 Farm Bill and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), AgrAbility is a program whose mission is “to enhance the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities, so that they, their families and their communities continue to succeed in rural America.” The program consists of the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) and State/Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAPs), with MSU leading Michigan’s project — one of 21 USDA-funded SRAPs.

Krieger and Stoller established a relationship before coming to SWMREC, as Stoller developed assistive technology Krieger used for previous farm jobs. Collaborating with the SWMREC team, they identified tasks Krieger could immediately contribute to at the MSU AgBioResearch center using technology he already had.

Mowing was the first item addressed. Krieger used the lift on his truck to get on the mower and hand levers Stoller brought to assist with its foot pedals. Stoller said they were able to quickly equip the mower because of his relationship with Krieger and the SWMREC team’s willingness to incorporate new ideas.

“It doesn’t always happen that fast, but since Cade and I had an existing relationship from his past jobs, we had a good launching point to work from,” Stoller said. “The people at SWMREC were also game for anything. Even toward the end of the summer, Ben reached out to me saying they got a workstation set up for Cade to sort vegetables.

“It’s more of having the right mindset than being an engineer. When Cade comes to a job, he comes with ambition and wants to do stuff. The SWMREC team picked up on that right away and looked at the possibilities to be had. It was a natural flow.”

In addition to mowing, Krieger operated tractors to assist with pruning plants. He also earned his pesticide applicator certification so he could use a weed wick attached to his electric wheelchair to apply herbicides to weeds overtaking cover crops.

“I drove through the cover crops and the wick spun with an electric switch I could turn on and off,” Krieger said.

de Schaaf is currently pursuing funding for a tractor with a three-point hitch and power takeoff located in front of the tractor. He said having the equipment in front would allow Krieger to operate the tractor without needing to turn around and monitor its attached pieces from behind.

2025 will be Krieger’s second season at SWMREC. He said he’s excited to return.

“I’m ready for winter to be done,” Krieger said.

Phillips and de Schaaf attributed the speed at which they helped accommodate Krieger to his desire for working at the center and the resources and expertise Stoller brought from AgrAbility.

Stoller said his role is to provide people with the tools they need to perform their current agricultural duties and grow in their careers. He noted that Michigan Rehabilitation Services has funded much of the equipment Krieger uses today at the farm.

“It’s the concept of having the pieces you need,” Stoller said. “When Cade came to SWMREC with his experience and assistive technology, he was ready to go, and now he has even more experience and equipment that broadens his skillset.”

The NAP and SRAPs are partnerships between land-grant universities and at least one disability-serving nonprofit organization from each participating state.

Michigan AgrAbility, which has run in the state for more than 20 years, consists of MSU and Easterseals MORC. Ron Bates, director of the MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute, is the project director, and Samantha Wolfe, the statewide agricultural occupational health educator with MSU Extension, is the lead contact and facilitator for the project.

Wolfe said Michigan AgrAbility served 215 clients across 15 areas of agriculture in 2023, supporting over 20 different reported disabilities or conditions. She also said since the state project’s inception, Stoller and the team have worked with nearly 2,000 people.

“Farms can be of any size and scale, from large commodity row crop growers to beginning beekeepers,” Wolfe said. “It’s all about tailoring the operation and tasks to better meet the needs and abilities of our clients.”

According to Wolfe, the collaboration at SWMREC is the only project of its kind taking place presently at an MSU research facility. However, Stoller said he teams up with MSU Extension educators when applicable for their knowledge on specific agricultural processes to help him develop and implement assistive technology. He said he’s currently coordinating with Phil Durst, a senior MSU Extension educator specializing in dairy and beef cattle health and production, to design a cattle handling system for a beef farmer who broke his back.

Phillips said one aspect about AgrAbility he’s become more familiar with since connecting with Krieger and Stoller is how it assists people with both nonprogressive and progressive conditions.

“There are conditions people have that can get worse over time, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, and they’re equally viewed in the eyes of someone like Ned,” Phillips said. “Growers aren’t getting younger. The mean age of farmers is getting higher every year, and with that comes an increased risk for degenerative issues to occur. Being aware of the resources Ned offers through AgrAbility is good for people who want to keep working.”

Michigan State University AgBioResearch scientists discover dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment. More than 300 MSU faculty conduct leading-edge research on a variety of topics, from health and climate to agriculture and natural resources. Originally formed in 1888 as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU AgBioResearch oversees numerous on-campus research facilities, as well as 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan. To learn more, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.