2. Vocational Rehabilitation
3. Consumer Success Stories
4. John's Story

How DVR Helped Sustain a Family Farm After a Tragic Accident

In a rural area nestled west of the Fox Valley, Wisconsin, lies Mitchell Brothers Farm – sprawling with 500 acres of corn, wheat, bean fields, and nearly 200 head of cattle.

"About two years ago, my brother and I decided we needed to start chopping corn silage," recalled John Mitchell. "It was dark – like 7:30 or 8 at night. I headed out to the thrasher first. Next thing I know, I was in it."

Fortunately, John wasn't alone for long; his brother Hank had planned to join him but found his brother in the corn chopper just minutes after the incident. Hank immediately shut off the machine and called 911.

Being trapped in the corn chopper ultimately caused John to lose his right arm and limited the use of his left leg. Following the incident and after his right arm was amputated from below the shoulder, John was fitted with a prosthetic.

Finding a partner with DVR

Following the incident, John and his brother slowly made several improvements to the farm, but many aspects of the labor became more challenging for him.

"When he reached out to us in the spring of 2023, John wanted to know what kind of support, accommodations, and equipment would help him better perform his required farm duties to keep it running," said Emily Butzen, DVR counselor. "Ultimately, DVR assisted him with purchasing and adapting specific farm equipment to help him sustain his farming work. And we had the amazing assistance of Easterseals Wisconsin."

Easterseals Wisconsin

Easterseals Wisconsin is a service provider of DVR and offers direct client assistance to the AgrAbility Project. DVR makes a referral to Easterseals Wisconsin for an Assistive Technology assessment; they find solutions to the individual farmer limitations and make recommendations to accommodate specific problem areas. If approved, DVR funds all the equipment and services.

In summer 2023, Jeff Kratochwill, Program Director-FARM & Vocational Services from Easterseals Wisconsin, came to visit John at the farm to complete an assessment.

The two looked at John's current skid steer, assessed the farm machinery, and determined that modifications were needed for the skid steer, among other adaptive machinery.

The assessment from Easterseals Wisconsin was ultimately approved by DVR, and John received a New Holland skid steer in January 2024 that was modified to include a left side joystick and foot controls. To effectively operate the skid steer, John requires a single, left-handed pilot control that moves the machine forward, backward, and to turn. He also uses a modified right foot pedal for the bucket control, and a left foot pedal for boom control.

"I use the skid steer for everything," said John. "Cleaning barn, all feeding out of bags, brush mower. I also use it to cut a lot of trees, move tires around and move seed."

Upon receiving the skid steer earlier this year, John conveyed to Emily that the skid steer is working out great and has "brought the 'fun' back to farming."

What's next for John? A modified corn planter that eliminates all drive chains, separating the drive transmission and eliminating the need to remove the chains from the wheels on the planter.

"This program for people is amazing," said John. "It's a game changer…all the time you put into it; you think nothing can come of it. If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't be able to do all the normal stuff and keep the farm going."