• To check out the study we mentioned in this episode, visit this link: Mental Health in Farming Communities - study by Dawn Garrett-Wright, Catherine Malin, and Susan Jones
• Not a farmer? Read this article, Finding the Common Ground: Understanding Your Community's Agriculture, from Penn State Extension

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Directed by Laura Siegel

Hosted by Linda Emanuel

Edited by Matt McKenney for ProPodcastingServices.com

Special Guests: Al Pedigo

Special thanks to Dr. Susan Jones for speaking with us about the study, and connecting us with Al Pedigo!

Welcome to the Talking Total Farmer Health podcast from AgriSafe Network. At AgriSafe, we work to protect the people that feed the world by supporting the health and safety professionals, ensuring access to preventative services for farm families and the agriculture community.

Hello listeners. I want to share a study that I caught wind of last year at a conference, one that intently researched the firsthand perspective of farmers from Tennessee and Kentucky to find out what are their primary stressors and what are farmer driven methods to alleviate that stress. For those of you who grew up around agriculture, this data might be nothing new, but this information is necessary for the healthcare workers who don't have that rural upbringing, and this information can also be used as a looking glass for ourselves. Sometimes it can be difficult to track down the root of our neck or back pain, difficulty sleeping, inability to ward off infections, and the list goes on. Sometimes we need to have it laid out right in front of us, like a wake up call. So I had the pleasure of speaking with Doctor Susan Jones, one of the researchers from the study, who is a professor of nursing emeritus at Western Kentucky University. Today, she is retired, but she has given her tireless and passionate commitment to the field of nursing since 1968.

She has been working hard in rural communities to understand the issues and promote the health of farmers. The interesting study that I'm speaking of included a sharing of experiences within farmer focus groups, and the results revealed that there are three major components of stress for farmers. The first was a lack of control, especially when it comes to government regulations, the cost of crop production, weather and natural disasters. The second was anticipatory stress, like the never ending to do list and the anticipation of what will happen next that needs solving, such as it will a farm worker or a neighbor call out for immediate assistance? Or will equipment break down during a crucial part of the growing or harvest season, and how will they be nimble enough to solve it? And the third was a lack of public appreciation and perception of farming. Nowadays, society is so far removed from agriculture and most people don't know where the food they're buying was grown or what went into that whole process of getting the food to their table, to the grocery store. And there's a great deal of misinformation out there about GMOs, animal production and organic foods. Honestly, as a producer myself, these mistruths add to the stress pile. And for those of you who aren't farmers, you might wonder why not quit? Why not put a match to it all? Why not go out and get a more relaxed job? Well, they also asked these farmers that question in the forum of why do you farm? Why do you farm? At the end of the day, it boils down to…

It's instinctual. It's in their DNA. It's their heritage. One story Susan shared from a member of the focus group that sank deep within my heart was a story about a farmer who related the following. He said that when he knelt down and touched and ran the soil between his fingers, he was touching the very same soil that his parents, his grandparents, his great grandparents had touched. It's a legacy, and it's a gift. And the thought of letting go of or losing the farm is simply unimaginable. And lastly, they asked, what can communities do to help out their farmers? And they said, learn about agriculture and food sources. Integrate agriculture into school curriculums. Read up on the stories of farmers and the same advice goes towards health care workers. Show interest in your patient's occupation. Ask them about their farms. Get curious and become educated. That simple curiosity can really go a long way, just showing that you appreciate the hard work that they're doing. If you're interested in learning more about this study, check the show notes for the link. And now it's time to welcome our guest, Al Pedigo, who is a farmer from Tennessee. Al, introduce yourself to our listeners, please.

Okay. Good to be with you today. Um, my name is Al Pedigo, and I'm originally from Tennessee. I was born and raised in McMinnville, Tennessee, which is Warren County, Tennessee, nursery capital of the world. So I have a lot of friends today that are in the nursery business. But I grew up in a city of McMinnville, and then my grandparents had a family farm that, as we were growing up, um, we used to always go to the family farm and it spiked my interest in farming. And I've always loved to go to the farm and go with my grandfather or my uncle and, and go out on the farm. And then in 1970, my uncle, along with his son, had a tragic accident where lightning, struck a barn that they were housing debacle in. And both of them lost their life. So it left a generational void there. But my grandfather kept part of the farm. They did sell where my uncle was living, but, uh, kept part of the farm. And then I went to Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was about 35 miles from the farm and always went over on the weekends and summers and helped on the farm when I could.

And, um, and then that became my dream to someday farm. And basically, that's what I've always wanted to do. And when I got out of school on my grandfather and I couldn't exactly get on the right, same page, link, wave or whatever, and I went to Union County, Kentucky and took care of a hog operation. And then after a couple of years, his health went down some. And I ended up going back to the farm and and have been there ever since, since 1981. And today we've got about 400 cows. And we have we raised corn, soybeans, still raise some tobacco and then have vegetables that we're starting to raise to kind of replace the drop in tobacco income. So today my sons are on the farm with me. And so the next generations there he'll be the fifth generation on our farm. And, uh, it's exciting, but it also, you know, there are challenges involved and, uh, we're trying to work through those and give him more and more of a role in the farm and me less and less, which is sometimes a struggle. But that's where I kind of where I am today.

Yeah, I think so many of us that have been part of these generational farms truly understand that the struggle and as a new generation comes in, they have some different ideas and, and the managers may have different ideas. And, and of course, then you have the generational gaps there. And so that all kind of plays into the dynamics. So um, wow, that's a great story. Um, very relatable. And, and so tell us about I feel like you've, you've alluded a little bit to your role on the farm, but, um, tell us a little bit more what your day-to-day work looks like.

And basically now my day-to-day work is more, um, you know, I let my I'm trying to let my son make a lot more of the day-to-day decisions, but there's always things that I need to do, whether it's, uh. Uh, helping them get parts or or, uh, you know, I, I still consult with my son quite a bit in the mornings and we lay out a plan to, to try to carry out, and then I, I help him, uh, still on the farm. I still love the farm. I love driving the tractor when I can, uh, especially some of the tasks. But, uh, I love watching the calves. Cattle calve in the spring, and that's what we're doing right now. And so I spend a lot of my day with those kind of things. And then also the paperwork that's required today is immense. And, uh, I do quite a bit of that for the farm still. And, uh, it takes a lot of my time.

It certainly does. Yeah. It's getting a little bit more complex every year, I feel like. So when you think about your work…identify those things that happen, and it could be the day-to-day things or maybe it's the, a broader picture - what are those things that cause stress within your life?

You know there- in farming, there's two kinds of things, I think. One that we can't control, and then those that we try to somewhat control. But the surprises always happen, whether it's machinery breaking down that you just worked on or, um, just maybe an employee leaves or doesn't show up that day or those kind of things. Day to day stress things are there. But then the big one is, is financial, I think. It's hard to make farms work today. It takes a lot of capital. A lot of what we've made over the years, um, is tied up in putting out a crop today. It's, it's expensive to do. And, you know, it's most people will tell you we buy retail and sell it wholesale or whatever we're, um, challenged to do. But marketing is so critical, and, uh, sometimes that's stressful. Uh, I stress about it some until we do it, then I try to let it go. I think you have to do that. But, uh, I think the financial things. And then just day to day things that happen that you, you, uh, try to control, but then things happen, even the best you can do. And then, of course, the big one that we can't control is the weather. And all those times when we worry about whether it's flooding or drought, um, those are the main stress things that I deal with that, um, and deadlines to some point with paperwork and um, or sometimes challenging, but those would be the main things.

Yeah, I understand that right. Tax season is here.

Yeah that's right.

Yeah. Nothing. Nothing that brings a family together or not is tax season. And right. Trying to reproduce all of those documents and give all those things to your accountant. Or if you do your own accounting, it's it's a lot.

It is a lot. We try we we work with a University of Kentucky program called Farm Analysis. And that helps us. We try to kind of do it as we go through the year, which helps. Um, but it's still a challenge.

So we’ve talked about about components of stress. And, um, you know, you talked about markets, the uncontrollable with farming and ranching.... But what else could be a major component of stress?

One of the big ones that, as farmers have grown larger and larger in scale, is keeping a workforce that's, uh, reliable and dependable. Because in farming, you have to have people that understand they're certain days you may not be able to work, but then there's certain days you have to work maybe 14, 16 hours a day. Uh, it's just the way farming and agriculture is. And one of the biggest challenges is just getting people that are willing to do that. Um, um, today, and we've gotten to where we rely quite a bit on H-2a labor or, uh, labor that, uh, you know, we we pay for their transportation to get them to our farms, and then we provide them housing, transportation while they're here, and then money for them to go home to return to their families. And they are dependable and, uh, they work hard and, um, you know, it's a- it's kind of a newer part of agriculture, but, uh, there's a lot of a lot of variables in that, that, uh, cause farmers to have to do more. And, uh, from a paperwork standpoint, all the way to, to just ensuring that those workers are comfortable while they're here and, and are able to have the things they need to perform the task. Uh, you know, they've we've had them the same group for 15 or 20 years on our farm and they become sort of like family, really, because they they want to come back and work. It's important to them.

And, they're able to go back home to their families and in our case, in Mexico. But there's getting to be a lot more people from other areas of the world that are from South Africa, from other places that are coming to do just basic equipment work and all the needs that agriculture has where it's getting harder and harder to find local people to fill those roles. So that's an important part of agriculture that gets overlooked. And labor as we grown farms to be bigger in scale is critical.

Indeed it is. I feel like farmers have to think a little bit outside the box, maybe something different to to find that labor and that qualified laboring.

But it does, it has really helped us on our operation, especially with labor intensive crops like vegetables or tobacco.

So do you ever notice your stress causing any physical symptoms?

You know, for me, it'd be probably like uh, sleep, would be the biggest thing. And what that leads to. Um, you know, it's easy to wake up in the night and think about things that are…You could have done better or that are happening on the farm that, you know, sometimes it's things we don't have control of. Um, but it's hard to not worry and not stress about, uh, about things. So for me, it would be lack of sleep when things aren't going well or I seem to be under more stress than usual.

Mhmm, for sure. For sure. You are a wise experienced farmer. And so over time if you think back, have you noticed periods where that accumulated stress certainly had an impact on your physical health?

You know, I guess I've been blessed that I don't feel like it's on my physical health. Sometimes you get short with people or, um, you know, things that you, you may say something you regret and employee, or in my case, to my son or wife or whoever that may be, but- I may be a little unusual in that I do take time to do things that I help me, that help me deal with stress. And not be so dedicated to the farm that I let stress of the farm get me down.

Very, very wise. So that leads me into the the next question. What are some of those go to methods that help you cope with stress? You know, it sounds like you're able to let things go. How do you do that?

Now, I think church is the most important thing, I go to church regularly and my faith and prayer and those kind of things, and then I enjoy sports so I can go to a sporting event or and it kind of takes my mind away from the farm. Also a big one, I think, I've been involved in a lot of ag groups and been able to go to those meetings and conventions and, um, visit with other farmers that are, you know, a lot of them are having the same kind of stress related incidences that we are. And I think that helps to communicate with one another and be able to talk about them and with your peers. And, so I've always taken time to do that, to go to meetings and, conventions and those kinds of things.

So science, of course, is back in everything you said, uh, right there, it's your spirituality that helps you to, to kind of reset, as well as the social connectedness that you are. I feel like you're getting from your conferences and your meetings and sporting events. Right? Even sitting on the bleacher with some of your local townsfolk, that is helpful. And, and having those conversations that lead you away from that stress that's on the farm.

Right? Yeah, I think all those things are important to do. I know farmers that don't do them, that are at their farm 24 hours a day and, uh, they don't seem to, you know, and they love what they're doing. But still, it's just, I think it's important that you take breaks from, because it is stressful. It is, dealing with all the issues that we have to deal with, and I think it's important to have something you can get away from that from, to some degree and get your mind on other things, and then you're refreshed when you go back.

And it puts things in perspective sometimes. Is there anything the public can do to help? You know, as in, are there any areas of farming that you think the public is generally not aware of that would be helpful for them to know?

Well, I think there's a lot of them, but that's kind of on our end, I guess. Agriculture, you know, we've become larger scale and fewer numbers all the time. And I think a lot of people that don't deal with agriculture don't understand the inputs it takes and the work it takes. And, uh, the things that farmers deal with to provide food for our society. So, I think there are things that people need to know about agriculture that they don't. It's just a matter of how we get that out there.

Right? And opening up a conversation. Sometimes I wonder if the public, you know, even if they would ask a simple question like, “how is harvest going?” Or, “it's been a dry growing season, how are you doing with all of that?” Some of those open ended questions would hopefully ignite a conversation.

Right? Yeah. And it's helpful, like, you know, I do at church, and at, uh, I'm involved at Western Kentucky on a couple of boards, and I enjoy going to those things and talking about agriculture, because most all of the other people there aren't involved in agriculture. And they're most of them are business people or chamber of Commerce is a good places. You know, I enjoy doing that. I'm on my local chamber board, and, all those kind of things are important, I think, to keep agriculture in people's mind and how important it is to our country.

Right? That community and civic involvement, I agree, you know, I know farmers are busy. They are darn busy people. But if they can carve out maybe one night a week or one event that they can commit to, one group that they can commit, can commit to, um, that certainly helps to increase the word and the understanding of agriculture. At the end of the day… and we kind of talked about this earlier a little bit, Al, but why do you still farm? Like, what keeps you coming back and getting up in the morning, putting those boots on and getting after the work?

You know, I think it's just the love of, you know, watching the plants grow or cattle being born, calves being born, or, you know, it's just something that that if you enjoy doing it, it makes it a lot easier. And I think that's why I continue to do it. You know, as I've gotten older, I do enjoy doing some other things, but I still love going back home and going, being on the farm. And I hope we can, agriculture can be prosperous going forward for the next generations because we need a ag, need agriculture, and we need that food safety. And, uh, all the things that growing our food supply here in the US is all the reasons that it's beneficial for all of us. I think it's important.

I agree. You know, I feel like in the United States we have the most safest and most affordable food available. And I feel like without our farmers and that passion, it's an instinctual purpose almost, that they want to provide the necessities not only for your family, but for the world around them. And I feel like if, if we would lose that, it would, it would be very difficult to manage life in general.

Yeah. Food safety, though, was one of those areas we, you know, the gap and all the trainings we do now that we didn't used to do and… You know we didn't used to have to have sanitation in the field like we do now. If we have over ten employees, or, all those kind of things add up to make it more of a struggle, I think, for farmers to, uh, maintain profit margins that, sometimes are hard to come by.

There's lots of steps, lots of processes to follow for sure.

Yeah.

Oh, I could talk to you forever. You've got such a wisdom about you, Al. I do, certainly we do at AgriSafe, appreciate your time with us. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience?

No, I don't think so. Just, always, when you get the opportunity, tell, uh, a neighbor or a fellow county person or city person or wherever you may be, it may just be your family. And if you have the opportunity to educate them about agriculture, just always take advantage of that. I think it's important, uh, especially in our schools, if you get an opportunity to go in and talk about agriculture or read even an agricultural book to students, uh, I know it's hard to do, but we need to try to take advantage of those opportunities.

Instill that love of farming, right? Yeah. So, so, so important. Well, thank you for your time, al. We certainly appreciate it. And and we wish you all the best moving forward into whatever that farming life looks like for you.

Thank you I appreciate- appreciate you reaching out. Thank you.

You're welcome. Okay folks, that’s it for today. Thank you again for tuning in to another episode. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast to hear more from AgriSafe on the health and safety issues impacting agricultural workers. If you’d like to suggest topics, or have a story you’d like to share, contact us by email at info@agrisafe.org, and title your email “TTFH Podcast.” You can also get our attention by using the hashtag "TTFHpod" on Twitter! To see more from AgriSafe, including webinars and our newsletter, visit www.agrisafe.org.

This episode was created by AgriSafe Network, directed by Laura Siegel, hosted by me, Linda Emanuel, edited by Matt McKinney for ProPodcastingServices.Com with special guest Al Pedigo.