Written by Dave Stewart
Zehr Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Farming is often considered a labour of love. The physical and mental demands of the job can take a serious toll on farmers. Long hours, constant pressure and nature’s unpredictability can make farming incredibly exhausting. Burnout and fatigue are often results of this stressful environment.
Recognizing these challenges and managing stress can help you stay healthy and safe on the farm.
Here are 6 contributing factors to stress on the farm.
Weather and Climate
Unpredictable weather patterns such as floods and droughts can severely affect crop yields. This poses a serious challenge for farmers who depend on their harvests as a main source of income. These extreme conditions can also harm livestock, compound financial losses and increasing overall stress.
Debt Load & Equipment Repairs
Farming often requires expensive machinery and technology, which are typically financed through loans. Farmers can be left with high debt and thin profit margins. Frequent breakdowns and repair costs add to the financial strain, creating constant pressure to stay productive and avoid falling behind.
Extreme Outdoor Work Conditions
Farming is physically demanding and mostly done outdoors. These challenging conditions include extreme climate shifts from heat, cold, rain, or snow. Tasks like planting, harvesting, feeding livestock, or fixing equipment often require long hours (regardless of the weather), which could lead to physical exhaustion or injury.
Tariffs and Commodity Pricing
Tariffs, subsidies, and international trade disputes can cause major shifts in the prices of agricultural products like corn, dairy and livestock. These rapid fluctuations often leave farmers earning less than the cost of production, making it difficult to plan, invest in equipment, or break even.
Fatigue & Excessive Workload
Farmers typically work far more than a standard 40-hour workweek. The demands of the job are relentless, especially during planting or harvest seasons where days starting before sunrise and ending after dark. There’s rarely time off, which can result in sleep deprivation or mental fatigue.
Biosecurity concerns
Biosecurity has become a normal part of an agricultural operation but is always a threat to a farm’s productivity and income. Constant attention to procedures and best practices has become a constant that can lead to added stress.
STRESS SYMPTOMS
Over time, the constant pressures of farming can take a serious toll (not just financially), but physically and emotionally. When stress builds up, it often shows up in the body through a range of symptoms, including:
- Stomach distress
- Unexplained headaches
- Back pain/and or generalized aches and pains
- Muscle tension
- Chest Pain
- Insomnia or disrupted sleep
- Change in appetite
- Chronic fatigue
FATIGUE ON THE FARM
Fatigue can manifest in a variety of ways, often affecting both the mind and the body. As the demands of farming continue to pile up, the signs of fatigue become harder to ignore.
These signs can include:
- Losing focus and forgetting things
- Lacking energy and motivation
- Increased risk taking
- Slower reactions
- Feeling irritable
- Tiredness even after sleep
It’s important not to ignore these warning signs. Recognizing them in yourself is an important first step to enabling you to do something about it!
AVOIDING FATIGUE ON THE FARM
While fatigue is a natural consequence of the demanding nature of farming, there are steps you can take to avoid its impact. By making small adjustments to your routine and prioritizing self-care, you can help prevent exhaustion from taking over!
Here are some strategies to consider:
- Prioritize your sleep
- Take breaks when needed
- Rotate tasks when possible
- Eat a balanced and healthy diet
- Pay extra attention during early morning or late-night tasks
- If someone is working alone, check on them; if you are working alone, ensure someone checks on you
Be mindful and remember that we all need help sometimes! Recognize the skill sets of those involved in your farming operation. Any tasks your team may not be equipped to handle, seek assistance from external experts.
These experts could include anyone from a risk management advisor to specialists or agronomists. These people are here to provide guidance and support when farmers need it!
Call Zehr Insurance brokers and see if we can help you with your insurance needs.
