S-86-W
Purdue University
Cooperative Extension Service
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Managing Farm-Related Stress for Safety's Sake
Bill Field, Extension Safety Specialist, Department of Agricultural Engineering
All occupations are accompanied by stress factors that individuals
must learn to cope with. Contrary to popular belief, agriculture is no
exception. As the complications and pace of agriculture have
increased, many of the physical and mental demands on farmers and
their families have become greater.
Though not all stress is inherently harmful, individuals whose
judgments or reactions are impaired by stress or a combination of
stresses (such as financial problems, physical fatigue, noise, or
temperature) often become increasingly vulnerable not only to
accidents but also to stress-related diseases and mental
disorders. Frequently the farmer's strenuous efforts to keep up with
farm work family and financial obligations, and a rapidly changing
world result in symptoms such as insomnia, ulcers, colitis,
hypertension, headaches, and changes in behavior such as temper
outbursts and periods of depression. History also shows that suicide
is more common in rural areas during periods of severe economic
depression.
The farmer's wife is often the greatest victim of pressures
associated with the operation of the farm business. Divorce
statistics suggest the incidence of unhappy marriage might be as
great among rural people as is found in urban areas. Isolation and
loneliness are often tremendous burdens with which the farm wife may
have to deal, and they become especially influential if other forces
are preventing the farm family from remaining a closely-knit unit.
An important characteristic of a husband-wife farm operation, like
that of many small businesses, is that it is usually a joint economic
venture. A major investment in the business, an economic loss, or
significant decision will usually affect the individual or economic
goals of the wife as much as those of her husband. This partnership,
which at times may be as much out of necessity as it is out of choice,
will place additional stresses on the marriage relationship and
often have a significant influence upon the mental and physical
well-being of the children. It seems well founded to suggest that an
unstable marriage or one that dissolves can have as great an impact
on the farm business as any market, managerial or environmental
factor.
There are no quick and easy solutions for successfully and safely
dealing with the many pressures associated with farming. Yet there
are many ways that stress and its influences can be
minimized. Evaluate the following suggestions to determine which
might apply to your present situation:
- Keep physically healthy by getting adequate rest, eating properly,
and receiving regular physical checkups. In addition, the need for
physical exercise has become more important for many farmers who
have changed from a labor-intensive life style to a more sedentary,
capital-intensive one. Several studies have shown that the physical
activity involved with running a modern, highly mechanized farm is not
sufficient to maintain good physical fitness.
- Establish realistic goals for yourself, your family, farm,
livestock, machinery, and for those with whom you work and do
business. Unrealistic goals and expectations generally result in
failure. A continued pattern of real or perceived failure creates
high levels of frustration and is a basic cause of depression.
- Learn to forgive. Anger, bitterness, and resentment towards others
over a long period usually hurts you more than it does
them. Confronting those with whom you have differences and attempting
to clear the air may prove to be extremely effective medicine. In some
cases you might even learn that your differences were not all that
important.
- Balance your drive for efficiency and productivity with a desire to
live a quality life style. During the past few years, farmers have been
led to believe that efficiency, productivity, and timeliness should be
sought at nearly all cost because of their long-term payoffs. Yet
there is little evidence to suggest any correlation between high
levels of efficiency or productivity and lower levels of physiological
or psychological stress. In fact, one study suggests that farmers are
generally less satisfied today than a typical cross-section of the
national work force.
- Take time to develop your faith. It has been wisely stated that a
man who is too busy to pray or worship with his family is too busy and
needs to rearrange his priorities.
- Set aside prime time for your family to develop as a
unit. Attending church together, going to an evening ball game, or
staying at home reading and enjoying each other's company is too often
reserved for leftover time. A strong family provides a
tremendous reservoir to draw upon during periods of crisis and helps
make the daily grind a little easier to take.
- Make every effort to resolve frustrating problems before attempting
to engage in complex or hazardous tasks such as planting and
harvesting operations. Just as a dealer appropriately recommends
preharvest machine preparation to improve performance, efforts to
confront and deal with unresolved conflict might result in even
greater productivity, less downtime, and fewer mishaps and personal
injuries.
- Avoid medications, unless prescribed by a physician, to mask the
symptoms of physical and emotional problems. Being one's own doctor
can lead to extensive use of drugs, some of which are habit
forming. Even "over-the-counter" medications can hide the symptoms of
serious stress-related problems which then remain
untreated. Furthermore, certain drugs are actually a source of stress
(fatigue and drowsiness) and can seriously impair your performance
and safety.
- Use caution when borrowing money and making large purchases. This
should prevent many high-stress financial situations from
developing. Impulse buying often turns sour. The economic advantages
and disadvantages of each large investment should be weighed
carefully, as well as the long range physical and emotional burdens
it might create for yourself and your family. In determining
repayment rates, neither the returns for labor nor family needs should
be short changed. This suggestion applies very appropriately to
investments in machinery which probably have more direct impact upon
farm family economics than any other factor except crop and livestock
prices.
- Eliminate hazards from the workplace and home to reduce the
subconscious stress that is often associated with working and living
in a hostile environment. Continually working around faulty equipment,
unshielded hazards or poorly maintained shops and living in a house
with questionable electrical wiring or other hazards can bring about
high levels of frustration and anxiety.
- Utilize local resources to the greatest extent possible when
making farm management or other important economic decisions. County
Extension agents, professional consultants, bankers, vo-ag teachers
and Extension specialists are excellent sources of information. Use
these people as a sounding board for your ideas.
- Seek professional help (clergy, physician, teacher, social worker,
etc.) when personal, family, or farm-related problems become
overwhelming or appear unsolvable. Asking for help goes against the
grain of our society's idea of a strong self-reliant individual, but
it usually provides the most effective and durable solutions to
stress-related problems.
Operating farm machinery for long hours during peak planting and
harvesting periods can also cause high levels of stress. There have
been a number of stress-coping techniques developed for airline
pilots, astronauts, and long-distance drivers that appear applicable
to this type of stress. For example, when operating machinery for
extended periods:
- Take frequent rest breaks to stretch your arms and legs, restore
blood flow, and mentally relax. Short, periodic rest breaks are more
effective than longer, less frequent breaks. Breaks should be for rest
and not for maintenance or adjustment of equipment.
- Play the radio or tape player, and utilize the time on the combine
or tractor to listen to educational tapes or quiet music or to learn a
language.
- Consider equipping tractors and combines with a two-way radio in
order to communicate with the house and other workers. Keeping in
touch provides added security and breaks up the long hours.
- Try isometric exercises to improve circulation and prevent stiffness
from developing. Some of these exercises can be done on-the-go but
generally should be done during the rest break.
- Breathe properly to ensure an adequate supply of air. Often as the
day passes and fatigue sets in, breathing becomes more irregular and
shallow, reducing the supply of oxygen to the lungs.
- Take time to enjoy the scenery. Noting special happenings during
the day such as a pheasant nesting in a hedgerow or a spectacular
sunset provides something positive to share after returning home.
Do you want to know more?
Free Publications from the MDC Mailing Room, 301 S. 2nd Street,
Lafayette, IN 47905 (authored by Randy Weigle, Iowa State University):
- Stress on the Farm: An Overview, NCR-192A
- Stress on the Farm: Skills for Stress Management, NCR-192E
- Stress on the Farm: Farming and Fatigue, NCR-192B
- Stress on the Farm: Team of Experts, NCR-192C
Available from the following publishers:
Stress, Blue Cross Association, 840 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Stress and How To Live With It, Dr. Jerry Robinson
and Cheryl Tevis, Successful Farming, Locust at
17th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50336.
For more information, contact Bill Field, Agricultural and Biological
Engineering, phone: 317-494-1191 or e-mail: field@ecn.purdue.edu
New 3/83
Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, state of
Indiana, Purdue University, and U.S. Department of Agriculture
cooperating; HA. Wadsworth, Director, West Lafayette. IN. Issued in
furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Purdue University
Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access
institution.