Farm stress topic at Farmer Appreciation Luncheon
Dr. Larry Tranel, a dairy specialist who has spent three decades with Extension offices in Iowa and Wisconsin, shared tips about dealing with farm stress at the Farmer Appreciation Luncheon Feb. 27, at Huckleberry’s Restaurant. (Photo by Correne Martin)
By Correne Martin
The reality of farming today is that the future is uncertain. Farmers attending the 30th annual Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce Feb. 27, were reminded of that reality, and heard tips for dealing with farm stress from guest presenter Dr. Larry Tranel, 20-year dairy specialist with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
“We’re now in the worst market grief I’ve seen in the 30 years I’ve been with Extension,” emphasized Tranel, who previously dedicated 10 years to the University of Wisconsin-Extension as a dairy farm management agent. “Asset values are up. Product prices are up. But input prices are down. We need to make informed decisions, not out of emotions and confusion, but by reaching out to others, exploring options and accepting our new reality.”
One of the best ways to face stress on the farm, Tranel explained, is to try to see problems as challenges and opportunities, rather than hindrances.
“Some stress is normal and healthy,” he added, recommending such techniques as getting enough sleep, trying to relax, focusing on breathing, communicating thoughts and writing details down so they can be remembered in times of difficulty. “Try to be proactive in your problem solving. Resilient people plan rather than hope. The reality is, it might get tougher, but have an exit strategy. Know when it’s not going to be worth staying in it anymore.”
Tranel said acute stress or accumulated chronic stress can weaken a person’s spirit, appetite, physical stamina, focus, relationships, decision-making ability and dampen happiness and satisfaction in time. There are some life skills that can help farmers deal with it.
He shared the PRIMER acronym as a tool to help farmers better deal with stress:
P—Perception-Know what you can control, even if it’s unfair, and, know what you can’t control.
R—Reality-Understand what might happen or what can be done to prevent circumstances, then seek remedy.
I—Identify-Notice your emotions, specifically anger, anxiety and depression. Do not transfer negative emotions onto others.
M—Manage-When symptoms arise, use the acronym BEE SET: Breathe, Exercise, Eat, Sublime or trade pain for thoughts of happy times), Express acceptance and Talk through it.
E—Extend-Get close to others and seek support; don’t be isolated. Hugs and laughter increase oxytocin in the blood.
R—Resources-Families that are able to make positive meaning of their stressors and use effective coping strategies as well as internal and external resources are more likely to adapt.
Tranel also covered grief, touching on what to do in the case of farm loss. He said his suggestions apply not only to cash flow and loss of the entire farm, if that happens, but also to other real losses like if a cow dies or a crop is flooded.
“Don’t try to overcome the grief. You don’t want to get over this,” he stated. “You want to process through this in healthy ways, savor the memories of what was lost and return to normal functioning and a meaningful life over your own time.”
The ISU Extension office can provide abundant resources relating to the topic of farm stress, market stress, youth stress, marriage stress, women’s and men’s stress, and grief. Such resources can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/familyfarm-stress. Tranel can be reached at (563) 583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu.
