BY ALLISON LEE
Farming is classed as one of the most dangerous jobs in the United Kingdom, with a higher death rate than any other profession—and it is not difficult to see why. The agricultural sector involves a range of serious risks, including those from heavy machinery, hazardous environments, livestock injuries, contact with harmful substances, and falls from height, among the most common dangers.
It was the last of these risks that changed Michael Nixon’s life forever.
Michael first began helping on farms at just eight years old, lending a hand on his grandfather’s farm, checking animals and assisting wherever he could. Around the age of thirteen, his older brother started working on a dairy farm, and Michael would join him at weekends to bring in the cows, feed the calves, and help out in any way possible. This marked the beginning of Michael’s journey into farming.
After leaving school, Michael enrolled at Moulton College, where he studied agriculture for two and a half years. He then began working on a mixed farm with 100 head of cattle and 3,500 acres of arable land. As Michael told me, he “fell in love with the place immediately.” After two years of part-time work, in 2006 he was offered a full-time position. His role involved a wide variety of tasks, but his main passion remained with the cattle.
However, in October 2019, Michael’s life changed dramatically.
Calves on the farm had begun showing signs of pneumonia. Upon investigating, it became clear that the guttering was overflowing, causing water to drain into the calf sheds. On that fateful day, Michael climbed onto the shed roof to clean the gutters. He was nearly finished when he reached a shrub growing where it shouldn’t have been. As he pulled at it, a branch snapped. In an instant, Michael lost his footing and fell 28 feet through an asbestos roof, landing on the concrete floor below.
Recalling the accident, Michael told me: “I ended up breaking my back at T7. I broke my sternum and seven ribs on my left-hand side. The crazy thing is, I’d never broken a bone in my body until that day.” A break at T7 refers to a fracture of the seventh thoracic vertebra, located roughly in the middle of the back. This injury is connected to the ribs and causes severe pain.
Michael was rushed to Coventry Hospital, where he was not operated on. Instead, he spent the next three months lying flat on his back to allow the bones to fuse naturally—a procedure often considered less risky for spinal injuries. On 27th December, he was transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, internationally renowned for housing one of the largest specialist spinal injuries units in the world. Michael spent a further three months at Stoke Mandeville’s rehabilitation unit, working hard to build his strength so he could return home to his wife and son.
On 27th March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael was finally allowed to go home. He found lockdown a struggle, so he reached out to a friend who agreed to let him help out on his farm. Michael eased himself back in slowly, taking on simple tasks such as feeding cattle and sheep, cleaning grain stores, and doing any other jobs he could manage.
As Michael’s accident happened on a farm, he received a compensation payout, which enabled him to buy a smallholding with three acres of land and a barn. He has since converted the barn into a gym to support his rehabilitation. On his smallholding, Michael now keeps sheep and free-range chickens.
Michael has over twelve thousand followers on Instagram, where he inspires others by showing what the human body can overcome in the face of huge adversity. Although he admits things have been incredibly tough at times, he has shown remarkable resilience. I love following his posts, which continue to document the highs and lows—not just of farming, but of farming in a wheelchair.
Michael’s final words to me capture his spirit perfectly: “So my life has certainly changed, but my passion for farming hasn’t. I just do it from a wheelchair.”
You can follow Michael’s wheelchair farming journey on Instagram: @mikewheelchairfarming
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Times and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.