Michigan

After reconstructive ankle surgery, Bill Renshaw of Union City struggled to climb onto some of his farm equipment, especially the skid loader. Bill's need was submitted to the MSU Mechanical Engineering 481 class for senior students to design and build a solution as a capstone project. With some additional engineering by ag engineer Ned Stoller, the accommodation works perfectly. Bars extending from the loader cab provide handles that Bill can use from either the front or side to safely pull himself into the cab. The attached chains give easy access for retracting the bars back in place once he is seated. Safety hinges move the bar extensions upward in case they are accidentally left in the extended position. The bars are sturdy - made of 1-inch square steel tubing - secure, and don't compromise existing cab safety features. A simple solution to make access easier to a piece of equipment that gets lots of use!

Last month, Michigan AgrAbility announced the opening of the AgrAbility Demonstration Farm partnering with Holland area farmer Doug VerHoeven so farmers can "try before they buy". Michigan AgrAbility submitted a short article about the demonstration farm and a picture of Doug VerHoeven to the MSU Extension Dairy Work Group for inclusion in their annual "upcoming programs" booklet. The booklet is sent to all Michigan dairy producers so they can review all of the MSU Extension dairy programs and ongoing research projects that will be of interest to them. (BTW - the Michigan AgrAbility media release about the demonstration farm reached all the way to Sioux Country Radio in Iowa!)

Submitted by Deb Chester