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Issues in Aging Among Farmers
University of KentuckyDeborah Reed Lori Garkovich Mary Kay Rayens Susan WestneatSteve Browning
University of Minnesota Jan McCulloch
Clemson University Charles Privette NIOSH grant # R01 OH04157-01A1
Objectives for this session
Understand the normal aging process Define “health” from a farmer perspective Examine the health status of older farmers Describe injury patterns of older farmers Describe the sociocultural context of farm
work Examine work organization and adaptations Identify methods to assist older farmers
and their families
2/62
What makes farmers so old?
Exodus of young people “retiring” from a nonfarm career into
farming shift from part-time farming to full-
time farming. Gale (2002) estimates that “about
25,000 operators in the 65-and-older age group entered farming each year from 1978 to 1992.”
3/62
“Normal” Aging
Decreased respiratory capacity – 20’s Presbyopia – 40’s Compromised joints – 50’s Skin changes – 60’s Decreased distal sensation – 70’s Temperature tolerance – 80’s
4/62
As age advances . . .
Prolonged recovery Morbidity and mortality increases Co-morbidities increase
5/62
SampleSustained Work Indicators of Farmers Over 50
Farmers and their spouses over age 50 (N=1,423)
African American farmers in South Carolina
Predominantly white farmers in Kentucky
Recruited through household survey, KY FFHHSP, KY African-American ROPS Survey, SCASS
6/62
Method
4 survey waves 10/02-3/03 1423 10/03-2/04 1124 6/04- 7/04 992 3/05- 4/05 962
Mailed and/or telephone surveys 67.6% response rate
7/62
Summary Demographics
Characteristic Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Total
N % N % N % N %
Gender Male 714 51.5 481 50.2 494 51.7 1689 51.2
Female 673 48.5 477 49.8 462 48.3 1612 48.3
Race White 1090 79.0 777 81.5 764 80.3 2631 80.1
Black 273 19.8 164 17.2 175 18.4 612 18.6
Other 17 1.2 13 1.3 12 1.3 42 1.3
Currently married
Yes 1260 91.1 879 91.9 873 91.5 3012 91.4
No 123 8.9 78 8.2 81 8.5 282 8.6
8/62
Summary Demographics (continued)
Characteristic Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Total
N % N % N % N %
State of residence
Kentucky 1190 85.8 841 87.8 831 86.9 2862 86.7
South Carolina 197 14.2 117 12.2 125 13.1 439 13.3
Age in years
50-59 353 26.3 211 23.0 191 20.9 755 23.8
60-69 579 43.2 413 45.0 395 43.1 1387 43.7
70 and older 409 30.5 294 32.0 330 36.0 1033 32.5
9/62
Older Farmers . . .
Slowing reflexes Physical wasting Accelerated hearing
loss Arthritis Cataracts Skin cancer
10/62
Self-rated health
Characteristic Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Total
N % N % N % N %
Health status
Excellent/very good 468 33.9 451 47.1 362 38.0 1281 38.9
Good/fair 803 58.1 430 44.9 527 55.4 1760 53.5
Poor 110 7.9 76 7.9 63 6.6 249 7.6
11/62
Self-rated Health by Age Groups
< 65N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
Excellent 12.0 7.1 5.7 9.3
Very good 28.4 25.1 17.5 24.7
Good 36.7 33.3 35.2 35.7
Fair 16.8 28.1 29.8 22.7
Poor 6.1 6.4 11.8 7.8
12/62
Perspectives on Health Status
How would you best define good health?
Under 65N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
Absence of pain 14.5 15.3 10.9 13.7
Ability to work 39.1 40.0 41.8 40.0
Absence of major disease 25.4 25.5 23.4 24.9
Not having to take medications
17.0 16.5 18.1 17.2
Some other definition 3.9 2.8 5.9 4.2
13/62
55.6
46.9
29.2
26.8
12.1
24.6
17.116.1
14.9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Arthritis Hypertension Back Hearing Cataracts Other vision Prostate* Diabetes Heart
Pe
rce
nt
of
res
po
nd
en
ts w
ith
ea
ch
he
alt
h p
rob
lem
*Calculated as a percentage of male respondents only
Prevalence of health problems affecting at least 10% of male respondents
14/62
15/62
Prevalence of health problems affecting at least 10% of female respondents
48.42%41.83%
22.92%
10.46%10.46%
21.92%
11.75% 11.60%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Arthriti
s
Hyper
tens
ionBac
k
Hearin
g
Catar
acts
Other
visio
n
Diabet
es
Osteop
oros
is
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
<65 years >= 65 years Male Female White Minority
Comparisons of number of health problems by demographic characteristics
* *
*Comparison significant at p < .05
Ave
rag
e n
um
ber
of
hea
lth
pro
ble
ms
16/62
Activity Deficits – part 1
17.21%
8.32%
27.94%
12.35%
16.93%
10.28%
29.70%
16.80%
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%
Difficulty walking for 1/4mile
Walking up 10 stepswithout resting
Standing/being on feet 2hours
Sitting 2 hours
Male Female
17/62
Activity Deficits – part 2
39.35%
17.00%
9.31%
5.67%
43.28%
17.62%
9.88%
13.44%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%
Stooping, kneeling
Reaching up overhead
Pick up penny
Carrying 10 lbs.
Male Female
18/62
Take Prescription Meds Daily
% Frequency N
Male 70.9% 350 494
Female 79.6% 403 506
Total sample
75.3% 753 1,000
19/62
Types of Meds Taken
% Frequency
Heart 17.0 129
Diabetes 14.0 107
Respiratory 2.5 19
Arthritis 17.9 135
Blood Pressure 59.8 450
Glaucoma 1.7 13
Thyroid 9.3 70
20/62
Depression – CESD Scores 20 items measuring depressive
symptoms Possible score range from 0-60
12% scored above 16 (at risk) with half of those above 23 (probable depression)
Compares somewhat favorably to general elderly population (14-44%)
21/62
“How do you see yourself?”Examples of Questions Asked
I’ve always felt I could make of my life pretty much what I wanted to make of it.
Once I make up my mind to do something, I stay with it until the job is completely done.
Very seldom have I been disappointed by the results of my hard work.
It’s important for me to be able to do things the way I want to do them rather than the way other people want me to do them.
22/62
John Henryism Scale
Self-efficacy scale 12 items 4 pt Likert
(completely true → completely false)
Lower score = higher self-efficacy Sample did extremely well
Mean score 19.25 / 48 Males scored better than females (p=.03) but
both in high end
23/62
Injury
24/62
Results: Injury rates by wave and gender
Wave Male(1689)
Female (1612)
Overall Rate*
1 16.2 3.7 9.5
2 15.4 4.4 9.3
3 14.3 3.7 8.6
* Adjusted for age distribution
25/62
Farm Injury Rate Among Older Male Farmers by Age and Wave of Survey. Analysis based on 1689 (observations) of Older Male Farmers from Kentucky and South Carolina.
0
5
10
15
20
25
50-59 60-69 70 and +
Wave 1Wave 2Wave 3
Age in Years
26/62
Farm Injury Rate Among Older Female Farmers by Age and Wave of Survey. Analysis based on 1612 (observations) of Older Females from Kentucky and South Carolina.
0
5
10
15
20
25
50-59 60-69 70 and +
Wave 1Wave 2Wave 3
Age in Years
27/62
Distribution of Farm Injury for Males (n=282 injuries)
Cuts
Chemicals
Burns
Broken Bones
Amputations
Sprains
n=4917.4%
n=134.6%
n=207.1%
n=196.7%
n=2.7%
n=17963.5%
28/62
Distribution of Farm Injury for Older Female Farmers
Cuts
Chemicals
Burns
Broken Bones
Amputations
Sprains
n=58.2%
n=711.5%
n=34.9%
n=69.8%
n=34.92%
n=3760.7%
N = 61 Injuries
29/62
Preliminary Bivariate Association With Farm Injury
Characteristic N (farm injury) Rate OR 95% CI
Race
White 233 8.9
Black 62 10.1 1.16 0.85-1.57
Other 6 14.3 1.72 0.64-4.31
Age
50-59 89 11.7 1.40 1.01-1.92
60-69 119 8.6 0.99 0.73-1.33
70 & older 90 8.7
30/62
Preliminary Bivariate Association (continued)Characteristic N
(farm injury)Rate OR 95% CI
Gender
Male 242 14.3 4.25 3.15-5.74
Female 61 3.8
Work Status
More time 46 16.4 2.94 1.85-4.66
Same time 189 9.6 1.58 1.11-2.26
Half as much 23 8.3 1.35 0.77-2.34
Much less 44 6.3
31/62
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Cut (stiches) Burn Broken bone Chemical reaction Digit/extremity loss Other injury*
Farm-related
Not farm-related
Pe
rce
nt
of
res
po
nd
en
ts i
nju
red
, b
y i
nju
ry t
yp
ePercent injured within the last 12 months, by type and source
Type of Injury*Includes sprains, strains, etc. 32/62
Work
33/62
Characteristics of the farm respondents and the farm operation
Under 65
N=749
65 – 69
N=267
70+
N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
General type of farm
Livestock 3.5 3.9 4.5 3.9
Crops 32.6 36.5 32.7 33.4
Both 63.9 59.6 62.8 62.8
Proportion of farms with the following crops or livestock
Hay 65.8 66.7 64.4 65.6
Cattle and calves 61.4 57.3 62.9 61.1
Tobacco 49.7 50.2 51.6 50.3
34/62
Farm Work Status Compared to Last Year
< 65N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
More time 13.9 8.6 4.2 10.2
About the same 57.2 59.1 55.4 57.1
Half as much time
8.2 9.0 9.2 8.6
Much less time 20.6 23.4 31.2 24.1
35/62
Performance of Farm Tasks Over Time
In past 5 years Since April 2002 Total SampleN=1,423
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
In past 5
years
Since April 2002
Crop Production Activities
Till ground (plow, disc)
43.3 44.9 41.8 35.1 33.7 30.7 43.1 33.6
Plant crops 47.4 43.8 36.6 36.3 34.5 26.8 43.6 33.2
Apply pesticides, herbicides, insecticides
44.5 41.1 39.1 34.8 33.3 29.2 42.4 33.0
Bale hay or straw 42.5 37.8 38.6 33.9 32.6 31.4 40.5 33.0
Hand harvest crop 35.0 27.3 26.3 22.8 21.3 16.2 31.1 20.7
Transport crops 30.6 25.5 21.1 23.6 19.9 17.0 26.9 21.0
Operate a combine 9.2 8.6 5.4 5.2 6.0 3.4 8.0 4.8
Chop silage 4.8 5.2 5.2 2.3 3.7 3.4 5.0 2.9
36/62
Animal Production Activities
Feed animals 63.0 53.9 52.8 56.2 49.1 44.7 58.4 51.6
Mow fields 51.8 50.9 53.8 43.5 47.2 47.9 52.2 45.5
Herd animals 42.5 36.7 36.9 38.2 31.8 31.0 39.8 34.9
Transport animals 38.9 31.5 29.2 33.2 28.8 24.1 34.7 29.8
Other veterinarian work
31.5 25.8 23.6 27.4 23.6 17.9 28.2 24.0
Castrate animals 23.8 25.5 21.9 18.0 20.2 17.7 23.5 18.3
Milk animals 4.9 3.4 3.4 2.3 2.2 1.2 4.2 2.0
In past 5 years Since April 2002 Total SampleN=1,423
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
In past 5
years
Since April 2002
37/62
In past 5 years Since April 2002 Total SampleN=1,423
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
< 65N=748
65-69N=267
70+N=407
In past 5
years
Since April 2002
Other General Farm Activities
Run farm errands 74.9 67.4 63.1 71.2 64.0 57.5 70.1 65.9
Repair farm equipment/tools
47.1 49.8 50.4 45.7 45.7 44.5 48.6 45.3
Climbed higher than 8 feet
43.9 43.8 39.1 40.0 37.8 34.9 42.5 37.9
Operated farm equipment on highways
41.4 38.2 36.6 39.9 32.6 32.2 39.4 36.3
Farm Management Tasks
Paid farm bills 75.2 73.4 68.3 72.2 66.3 62.9 72.9 68.4
Done farm bookkeeping
66.1 56.2 55.5 64.8 52.4 51.1 61.2 58.5
Order farm supplies
60.7 55.8 55.4 56.9 50.2 50.4 58.2 53.8
Purchased major farm supplies or equipment
44.6 43.1 43.5 37.1 34.1 33.4 44.0 35.5
Comparisons of number of farm tasks in last 5 years and last 12 monthsa by demographic characteristics
*Comparisons were made between the levels of the demographic variable for a fixed time; bars with the same letter are not significantly different (p > .05)
Ave
rag
e n
um
ber
of
farm
tas
ks d
on
e
a Solid bars give tasks done in the last 5 years; hashed bars refer to tasks in last year
aa
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
<65 years >= 65 years Male Female White Minority
39/62
Retired from farming?
Amount of Farming< 65
N=74965 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
Completely retired 15.3 20.7 30.6 20.7
Partially retired 37.6 54.4 51.5 44.7
Not retired 47.1 24.9 17.9 34.6
40/62
Adaptations to Continue Farming
In next 5 years, how likely will you: < 65N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
TotalN=1,423
Stop farming completely
Likely 47.1 61.0 64.3 54.6
Not likely at all 52.9 39.0 35.8 45.4
Change type of farming (e.g. crops instead of livestock)
Likely 33.6 31.0 25.1 30.8
Not likely at all 66.4 69.1 74.8 69.3
Transfer farm management to another person(s)
Likely 30.6 41.3 43.6 36.2
Not likely at all 69.4 58.7 56.5 63.8
Have someone else take over farm tasks
Likely 39.1 51.4 55.5 46.0
Not likely at all 60.9 48.6 44.5 54.0
Adaptations to continue farming
Under 65
N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
In the past 5 years, have you done any of the following to make your farm work easier?
Bought newer equipment to make a farm task easier to do
59.8 50.6 45.0 53.8
Reduced the scale of my operation 31.9 33.0 34.2 32.7
Stopped raising or producing a particular crop or animal
25.5 20.0 26.3 24.7
Had someone else take over a farm task
17.1 23.6 29.2 21.8
Leased out or sold land 19.0 16.4 25.8 20.4
Purchased a computer for farm use 24.6 14.2 7.4 17.7
Changed from primarily crop production to livestock production
15.4 15.7 16.2 15.7
Changed from primarily livestock production to crop production
5.9 5.6 6.9 6.1
42/62
Farm Work Satisfaction
< 65N=749
65 - 69N=267
70+N=407
Total SampleN=1,423
A great deal 56.9 56.9 67.1 59.8
Some 31.2 30.8 23.5 28.9
Very little 7.2 6.7 5.0 6.5
None 4.7 5.5 4.4 4.8
43/62
“Cutting Back” Transitioning from farmer to retiree
… learning from focus groups …44/62
Objective
Identify the processes, barriers, and facilitative factors included in the decision of farmers age
50 and over to retire from farm work
45/62
Farming – Cradle to Grave
Most rapidly aging occupation in America
Family structured
Historical and cultural context
46/62
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DECISION TO CONTINUE FARMING
Social factors Type of farm enterprise Household composition Economic status
Structural factors Opportunities for labor substitution Availability of hired labor Degree of mechanization Ownership
47/62
WORK AND ITS MEANING
To be a farmer is to be a manager, owner, employee and laborer – all simultaneously.
To be a farmer is to “carry on the family tradition”
To be a farmer is to become part of the land itself
48/62
SAMPLE (N = 67)
Couples Females Males TOTAL
Black 8 (16) 6 6 28
White 14 (28) 6 5 39
Total 22 (44) 12 11 67
Selected counties in Kentucky and South Carolina
49/62
PRIMARY CONCEPTS
Farm management and decision making
Physical farm labor Use of technology in farm practices Health Attachment to land
50/62
Summary of Findings
Technology and production modifications allowed farmers to remain in physical labor on the farm but decrease the amount of time (“cutting back”)
Attachment to land: major factor in sustained work of older farmers and spouses
Intend to remain active until health forces them to retire
51/62
Summary of Findings (continued)
Farming and farm work is a part of the self-identity
When planning occurs for retirement it is most often in the context of the land, not personal wellbeing.
52/62
Persistence of Work
Self-defined as “retired” or had “cut back”
“I’m retired from the physical part….still do all the management. I drive the tractor. I do the silage and rake the hay. But all I really do is manage the dairy.” ‘Retired’ farmer
I help my neighbors and son when they need it. I still do some custom work [ hay]. We do some research plots for seed.
Definition of work: “If you love it, it’s not work.”
53/62
Meaning of Work
Defines health
“I can’t think of a time I wouldn’t be raising cows unless I was dead or disabled.”
“We don’t really want to be retired because, truth is, you haven’t got long.”
“As long as I can climb onto a tractor I will. If you stop, you set still and die.”
Defines self “farming is a habit, a way of life. We don’t
know anything else to do.”
54/62
FINDINGS (continued)
Over half of farmers had also held off farm jobs Retired from off farm jobs; increased
farm work Felt farm work reduced their overall
stress and relaxed them from their off farm job strain
“It would be hard to quit farming. It would be depressing. I might end up being a statistic [suicide].”
55/62
CONCLUSIONS
Farmers rarely retire completely from farming
Modify work organization and environment Family members have evolving roles Health status not as important as
attachment to land Under such conditions, farmers may place
themselves and family members at risk for illness and injury
56/62
Application to Field Practice
Provide counsel on risk reduction
Develop farm work guidelines for seniors
Assess the whole picture
57/62
IMPLICATIONS Need to be aware of physical and
psychosocial factors that influence farmers’ decisions to remain active in farm work
Ask specifics about any farm work- including management
Older farmers and their spouses should be assessed for “work fitness”
Older farmers should be guided to make management and ergonomic changes in their farm operations to optimize their health
Families should be counseled on role transference to minimize stress
58/62
Heritage, History, Home, Health
“How can you explain to someone, ‘ this used to be a washed out gulley. I put in that waterway’ or ‘that land used to be so tired but look at it now’. How can you explain what this feeling means. It’s our life, our history, our home.”
- SC farmer
59/62
Persistence
“My Doctor, after I cut myleg off, he said just to sell the farm and retire. I was so mad, I’m not going to sellwhat we worked so hard for! This iswhat I do. This is who I am, I’ll find a
way to do it. I have to.” DB, age 70
60/62
Why do you continue to farm?
“It’s in the blood. We’ve always liked it. It’s part of who we are.” 61/62
Pack and Go
62/62
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