Successful Farming – August 2019

seen a substantial increase in stress levels

and health concerns in farm families,”

says Brotherson, who presents stress-

management workshops and provides

materials for rural families. “Agriculture

tends to be a high-stress industry to begin

with, and the last two years, drought has

compounded farm stress in many parts of

the Midwest.

“Along with that, there’s been a sub-

stantial drop in price for key commodity

crops, and trade disputes have created

difficult conditions in the marketplace,”

he says. “All these things have combined

to create an added load of stress.”

While the sources of the stressors are

largely beyond control, Brotherson urges

farm and ranch families to recognize

those areas where they do have control

and to be proactive in managing these in

order to reduce personal stress.

“There are three big areas where you

have control,” he says. “You can control

your attitudes and mind-set; you can

control the way you respond to stress; and

you can control events occurring within

your setting. Learning to take control

THREE WAYS TO HANDLE

TOUGH TIMES REDUCE STRESS BY MANAGING

ATTITUDE, RESPONSES, AND EVENTS.

S

tress goes hand in hand with

farming and ranching. It’s built

into the natural rhythms we live

by: unpredictable weather, live-

stock that sometimes decides to

live by its own rules, and plants that get

derailed by disease, drought, rain, or cold.

Nevertheless, the rewards of a rural

life and work on a farm or ranch abound:

the natural beauties, the freedoms, and

the opportunity to participate in nature’s

circle of life.

Yet, sometimes the stress outweighs

the rewards, bogging us down in emo-

tional burdens. Most are precipitated

by circumstances beyond our control,

causing those feelings of helplessness that

are particularly detrimental to emotional

well-being.

“For individuals working in agricul-

ture, emotional well-being is often tied

to what is happening within the larger

agricultural system; it’s beyond their im-

mediate control,” says Sean Brotherson,

North Dakota State University Extension

family science specialist.

“The last two years, in particular, I’ve

16 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019 Photography: shotbydave, gettyimages.com

By Raylene Nickel YOUR FARM

a a i g

DRAGO GT ¥ DRAGO SERIES II

Visit your nearest

Drago dealer and

see for yourself.