Do you ever think that you might be the only one who worries about their farm? It might be useful to recognize that other people have worries too and that they can be strikingly similar to your concerns. Over the past several months, we have been collecting data from farmers and ranchers in four states spread across the country to better understand the factors that cause stress and how they view risk in their operations. The data were gathered from one-on-one interviews where producers were asked to characterize their daily lives on the farm, goals for themselves and their business, and how they perceive the stressors and risks that they face. The key question asked of all the producers was, “What keeps you up at night?” The answers differed based on the commodity produced and the area where they lived, but there were several themes that arose, revealing common stressors:
1. Uncertainties regarding farm succession and the farm/family balance – the future of the farmland and farm operation passing from one generation to the next, plus the health and well-being of the family.
“Communication around succession planning, I think, is sometimes a rock wall.”
The long-term social and familial sustainability of the farm operation is a key stressor for producers. This stress includes anything from communication with family members on short-term management decisions to long-term strategy and succession planning. Talking to family about issues, small and large, can be stressful and is often avoided, risking further complications down the road. Additional issues that were addressed by the participants in the interviews included concerns about life-altering injuries, how to take a break from the farm when you are a one-person operation, to name a few.
2. Concerns over the reputation of agriculture and their specific farm, both in the local community, the broader industry, and society at large.
“What does [the future related to ag] look like and what’s my role in that?”
Farmers care deeply about producing a quality commodity product and being valued members of the community. As urban centers grow in rural states, farmers express concerns about land affordability and the public’s lack of understanding about the role of agriculture in their community. Producers also expressed that it is stressful to see the way the industry is portrayed at times in the media.
3. Unpredictable events – this includes weather changes, extreme weather, natural disasters, crop failures, herd or flock problems, excessive market fluctuations, etc.
“Drought. (laughs) Like that’s just the reality now.”
For many producers, they view these unpredictable events outside of their control as central factors in daily and long-term stress. The view that weather is a primary source of risk and unpredictable stress didn’t appear to be mitigated by insurance products or government payments. Rather, it is a constant that farmers have little control over and often worry about.
4. Difficult farm management choices – making the daily and long-term strategic decisions that impact the financial viability of their farming operation.
“Every input’s up – diesel, seed, fertilizer – you name it.”
Rising costs necessitate producers making new farm management choices, resulting in new stressors related to finances and viability. These include, but aren’t limited to, management choices related to labor, interest rates, maintaining production contracts, or losing or expanding landholdings. Many farms, no matter their size or stage of life, deal with tough management choices related to financial viability, sometimes many at one time.
Of note is that these four key stressors are both daily and long-term. Recognizing that farmers and ranchers often have these stressors in common helps to put in perspective the everyday challenges of agriculture. For those supporting the farming industry through education and policy making, it prioritizes the need to help farmers understand and use risk mitigation products and programs to help manage stress on the farm.