Continuing a Family Legacy for the Future

Gathering square bales with the new accumulator can now be done with one person, eliminating the need for the extra labor that is expensive and hard to find. 

Simple and effective, Glen has created his own assistive technology to help him enter his combine easier. Once on the combine platform, he can pull up the ladder and attach it to the existing ladder while working in the field.

Adding backup cameras to equipment allow Glen to see where he is backing without twisting his back.

The grain conveyor is a huge help with multiple tasks that require a strong and flexible back. The conveyor can move seed oat into the drill, and also moves oats from wagons to storage during the cleaning process. 

From a lumberjack farm to farmland producing hay, oats, and pumpkins, Glen Marenger is proud of what the farm has become in the generations since his great grandfather cleared trees from their 300-acre farm in Delta County. He is the present link between his family's past and potential future generations tied to the land.

A childhood injury has led to surgery, vertebrae fusions and limited mobility for Glen. “My mind and my heart are totally healthy, it’s just that my body has been beaten up,” Glen said. “AgrAbility helps me keep going, keeps me able to adapt on the farm.”

Michigan Rehabilitation Services partnered with Michigan AgrAbilty to finance some of Glen’s assistive technology. A new bale accumulator and grapple are a game changer when it comes to making and storing hay and straw for local customers. The grain conveyor eliminates lifting bagged oats when cleaning them or loading into the grain drill. The quick hitch attachment makes attaching wagons or equipment to a tractor easier with less back strain.

The adaptations Glen has installed have ignited his creativity in looking for other ways to make work easier around the farm. “Ned sends me new ideas to try, and they have been really helpful. AgrAbility has just been really good to work with,” Glen said.

“I plan to keep going as long as possible. My children and grandchildren will be the fourth and fifth generations and I want to keep it going for them. It is something that I really care about, and the only way I can keep moving and doing this is with the assistance and ideas and support I get through AgrAbility.”