Iowa AgrAbility

Agrability Chit-Chat, Newsletter
Vol. 3, No. 4 -- April 2001

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IN THIS EDITION:
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CONTENTS: GARDENING WITH MS AND MD

CARM'S COMMENTS: Carmen Schacht

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that affects each person differently. In the two years that I have been working with AgrAbility, I have matched 12 people with MS.

One woman, diagnosed in 1970, used two different kinds of canes, crutches, a walker and a manual chair before the doctor recommended that she get a scooter so that her arms wouldn't get so tired. She believes that the medication she takes improves her ability to use her legs, arms and vision -- all affected by MS.

A farmer diagnosed with MS about three years ago began taking medication right away to slow the progression. He can still do most of what he always did except that he tires easily.

Another AgrAbility farmer uses a wheelchair. A couple of years ago he went to a dog obedience school and now has a service dog to help him with some day to day activities.

One young woman started having trouble with her legs when she was 16. Over time she has had severe bouts with MS. Today she is unable to dress herself; her husband is her main caregiver. AgrAbility helped her adapt her home with a modest home makeover.

An AgrAbility mother's MS has progressed to where she uses an electric chair. In a recent conversation, she stated that she is getting weaker and can't do some of the things that she has always been able to do.

Let's hope that cures are found for this disease that affects more and more people each year. (CS)

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JEFF LOOKS TO THE FUTURE! Lorrie Long

It was October, 1997. Tall, lanky Jeff Futrell, and his dad, worked feverishly to lay the foundation for a new home near Clarksville for Jeff's wife, Cindy, and their three children. A new baby on the way, Mom and children were living in an apartment in town while Jeff camped out in a 20' pull trailer close to where their home recently burned to the ground.

Flu season. This year Jeff could not afford to get the flu so, for the first time in his life, he got the flu shot. Jeff noticed his feet and hands going numb and burning. He called the doctor who sent him to the hospital for tests.

Jeff couldn't afford to stop building so he sandwiched work on the house between his weekday job of operating heavy equipment at a nearby gravel pit and milking 300 head of goats on weekends. At the end of the winter, the Futrells moved into their new home where they could more easily tend their long-time, three-acre vegetable garden business.

After "zillions" of tests that year, Jeff was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. But, he was now having muscular problems. Six months later the family was shocked by a second diagnosis: Myotonic Multiple Dystrophy (MMD). Jeff explains, "muscles usually work by balancing each other, push and pull, but with MD, one set of muscles is not working and the other dominates. It twists your body -- my toes curl under; my hands draw back; when I walk, my hips are sideways. It is painful, very painful. MS, on the other hand, is a shorting out of the nervous system."

For a year Jeff was in and out of depression. He felt guilty using only his mind when he "should" be out doing something physical like gardening, operating heavy equipment and milking goats. The family had no income for seven months other than welfare and friends. Their mortgage payment was a month behind. His kids were embarrassed to have him come to their school programs.

AgrAbility entered the Futrell's life when Tracy Keninger called for a visit. With funding assistance from Voc Rehab, Jeff now enters and exists his home on ramps at the front and back doors. A raised toilet seat, a hand-held shower unit, and grab bars in the bathroom and bedroom, plus hand controls on his Chrysler, increase Jeff's independence.

But, it was flowers and doing something to help him feel important that really pulled Jeff out of depression, "I always liked flowers -- they make me feel better -- working with them brought me back." For many years Jeff wished he could buy flower and herb seeds in large quantities, repackage in 250- to 1000-seed packets, and resell. Today Jeff and Cindy use their dining room table to package and prepare their packets for shipment. This summer they plan to convert their garage into an office.

The Futrells' three-acre vegetable garden is now organic. Jeff, Cindy, and the children do all of their own picking, cleaning, and inspecting of the nutritious tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans, potatoes, and more. On market days, which begin in May, Jeff leads the way in the Chrysler, followed by Cindy driving the pick-up loaded down with tables, baskets, and the vegetables. They market in Waverly on Wednesdays, Hampton on Fridays, and Clarksville on Saturdays. Futrell veggies are, also, sold through Ken's Groceries, a local retail business in Clarksville.

Jeff is in process of developing his own website for their international business, Futrells Seed and Nursery. Jeff and Cindy currently advertise with the world's largest online auction house, eBay.com (http://pages.ebay.com/index.html). To find Jeff and Cindy's business, 1) click on Search at the top of the homepage, and 2) go to Find Items by seller, and 3) type in selectseeds@futrells.com in the window that says "Sellers User ID."

Like many other people with disabilities, the Futrells both buy and sell through the internet. "We have friends from all over the world since we started our seed business. We've had free smoked salmon sent from Alaska and books for our children from Japan. People email me and send pictures to tell me how well the seeds are doing!" exclaimed Jeff.

What about family? Jeff states, "my disability has turned my wife's world upside down and has increased her work load two-three times. She does the outside work in the gardens plus raises the children and helps me package and proof read my emails. She is the biggest helper in the world! It was hard on my kids, too, but now they are right with me. A couple times a week, they sit down with us around the dining room table and help package until we're finished." And friends? Jeff declares, "when you get sick, you find out who your friends are. We still have neighbors who help dig taters."

Jeff has had to make a lot of changes such as learning how to get dressed. Life is up and down. "But," he affirms, "I am still the same person in my head even though I may not look or act the same physically. I look to the future. I want to enjoy time with the kids. This summer we are going to fish and camp and have fun. Having this disability has made me concentrate on the important things of life rather than on things that don't matter."

Jeff, Cindy, and family have the support of Iowa AgrAbility, a partnership between the Easter Seals FaRM Program and ISU Extension. While the FaRM Program specializes in helping farm families with disabilities achieve greater independence through assistive technology and rehabilitation services, ISU Extension provides information on a wide range of agricultural, business, and family issues including financial management, horticulture, housing expertise, and handling stress. AgrAbility staff care personally about members of the entire family. The goal of AgrAbility is to help farm families with disabilities stay engaged in life. (LL)

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GOT A SOLUTION?! (If you have MS or MD, send me a personal email with solutions that have worked for you, mvlong@iastate.edu)

Outdoors:

--Drive a scooter outdoors as it is more substantial than an electric wheelchair; won't pull battery charge down as much.
--Establish raised flowerbeds and gardens as they are easier to care for from a chair or scooter than reaching to the ground of a flat bed.
--Use a utility vehicle (e.g., a John Deere Gator) to move around the farm, herd livestock through paddocks, check the fields, or build fence.
--Attach steps and handholds on farm machinery for easier access.
--Use a bulk seed handler to load individual boxes on the planter with controls to start and stop the flow close at hand.
--Build stair steps with a handrail to climb grain bins.

Indoors:

--Widen doorways to 32 inches (36 inches is better) for ease of access.
--Increase independence with a no-step entrance, a lowered kitchen counter, a roll-in shower, and a bed on the main floor.

Everywhere:

(LL)

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RESOURCES

To learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and Multiple Dystrophy check out this website recommended by Easter Seals Iowa: http://nncf.unl.edu/common/disabilities/. You will find information about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, management, and advice. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation offers the opportunity to post questions to a panel of health care professionals. The Muscular Dystrophy Association provides information about 40 neuromuscular diseases. The MD Parent Project includes resources for kids and parents with advice from doctors, and information based on research. (LL)

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AGRICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES

Check out the Iowa Extension Master Gardner Program -- a large volunteer organization coordinated by Iowa State University Extension. Master Gardeners are trained by ISU Extension staff and then share their time and expertise with gardeners. http://www.hort.iastate.edu/pages/conshort/mghome.html

Come visit the beautiful Reiman Gardens of Iowa State University, or take a Virtual Tour of the gardens via their website: http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/

Gardens for Every Body offers advice for persons with disabilities who want to keep their hands in the soil. http://www.muhealth.org/~arthritis/gardens/

Are you concerned about compliance with water quality regulations and manure management as a feedlot operator? Click on this website: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/immag/openfeedlot/plan.html

If you would like to learn more about the popular topic of the day--Foot and Mouth Disease, read these bulletins: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ipic/fmd/FMDbulletin.pdf; www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2001/apr01/apr0119.html

Would you be interested in growing grapes as a business? The ISU Viticulture Web site provides information on the risks, requirements and economics of grape production: http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/

If you are interested in direct-marketing food enterprises, such as farmers' markets, roadside stands and direct sales from the farm to places of business, you may want to attend a series of five one-day workshops called "Iowa CAFÉ": www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2001/apr01/apr0109.html

Usher in spring with ISU Extension's Plant Guy who responds to concerns about trees: www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2001/apr01/apr0120.html

A quick check of the ISU Extension calendar of events identifies many interesting activities scheduled for May: a meeting of the Central Iowa Grape Growers, information on planting fruits, vegetables, and flowers, as well as establishing a butterfly garden; woodland management; lawncare basics and a lawn and garden fair and plant sale sponsored by Master Gardeners; youth activities including numerous 4-H events. Also, watch for opening dates of farmers markets. Either access this information through your County Extension website: www.extension.iastate.edu/Counties/state.html or through the ISU Calendar of Events: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ . (LL)

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tune into Iowa Public Television, Living in Iowa, on Friday May 11, 8:30 p.m. and Sunday May 13, 7:30 p.m. One of our Iowa AgrAbility families will be featured -- Max Rodemeyer from Latimer.

A grant program worth $7,000 is available for individuals with MS who are taking Betaseron?. Information and applications can be obtained at www.championsofcourage.org or by calling 1-800-788- 1467. (TK)

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AGRABILITY FRIENDS AND FAMILY EVENTS

• · Make sure your equipment is properly maintained and ready to go before harvest gets underway. Taking the extra time to "fine tune" your equipment before you get in the field will prevent costly, and frustrating, breakdowns during the harvest. Remember, proper maintenance includes making sure all PTO shields and machine guards are in place.
• · Once your equipment is ready, give yourself a check-up as well. Prepare yourself physically and emotionally so that you will be alert while operating harvest equipment.
• · Train all workers. Be sure each operator is familiar with the operators' manual, and understands the appropriate procedures for possible emergency situations. Do not assume "experienced" operators will remember everything from the previous season - a thorough review is appropriate for everyone.
• · Before you begin harvest, check your fields for large rocks, tree stumps, holes, or ditches. If you can't remove obstacles, mark their locations with tall warning flags. Check the edges of ditches carefully for undercut banks.

During harvest

• · Make sure everyone takes short, frequent breaks to avoid becoming fatigued (this is particularly important for older operators). Stretch your arms and legs to increase blood flow, and allow yourself to relax mentally, as well.
• · Avoid operating equipment if you are ill, taking medications, drinking alcoholic beverages, or if you become overly tired. That extra hour in the field isn't worth the chance of wrecking your equipment or experiencing an injury.
• · Communicate. Two-way radios or cellular phones can be used to periodically check on workers, to improve work efficiency, and to provide critical communications if an emergency should occur.
• · Work efficiently but don't rush. When it comes to working on the farm, the old adage "haste makes waste" has a multitude of very serious meanings. Cutting corners in safety procedures will cost you more than money. If you're careless, eventually you will be injured.