Mark Hosier, paralyzed from the waist down, uses a mechanical lift to board his tractor. Hosier works with the NIFA-funded AgrAbility Program to overcome disabilities and continue working as an agricultural producer. Photo courtesy of National Swine Registry/Seedstock EDGE.

Although Mark Hosier was told he’d never walk again, the Indiana farmer is running a 500-acre farm and 10-sow showpig business entirely on his own.  Injured in 2006 when a 2,000-pound hay bale rolled off his tractor on top of him and crushed two vertebrae, Hosier thought he wouldn’t be able to continue farming.  Today, he operates his tractor with the help of a mechanical lift; modifications to his facilities allow him to care for his hogs from a wheelchair. Read more »