Profits are great, but farm safety remains the priority

For many years I argued wholeheartedly that the most important task in modern agriculture is turning a profit. Yes, agriculture is a way of life, but more importantly, it’s a business.

KNUTSON Plain

Then a decade or so ago I had an epiphany, a fancy word for recognizing an important truth that had been hidden.

I finally realized something I always knew to be true, though I hadn’t given it sufficient recognition: Nothing, not even profitability, is more important and desirable than farm safety. Yeah, having money to pay the bills is great. But healthy bodies, undamaged by farm accidents, are even better. Both farm safety and profitability are in the spotlight as the 2024 crop season gears up. The former remains a major challenge as always, while the latter is a bigger concern than a year ago.

Two sets of statistics to illustrate the point: U.S. net farm income is projected to drop 25.5 percent this year, according to USDA. For every dollar of net farm income in 2023, U.S. ag producers will make 74.5 cents this year. And those numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation, which means this year’s income has less purchasing power.

There are 23 work-related deaths per 100,000 workers in the agricultural industry, seven times higher than the national average for all workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There’s no mystery about why farming is so dangerous. It’s not that farmers are ignorant or careless. It’s that sometimes they get tired or rushed, occasionally causing them to push a little too hard. They make mistakes they normally wouldn’t. And with mistakes come accidents: some minor, some severe, and some even fatal.

Emotional Health

In recent years there has been growing and much-needed attention on ag’s emotional risks. Uncooperative weather and borderline profitability can subtly and sometimes blatantly weaken emotional health, leading to depression, thoughts of suicide and other mental health issues.

To make the point plainly, but not to be alarmist, 2024 could bring a double whammy of financial and emotional challenges.

Get Help When Needed

There are no easy or perfect solutions to those difficulties. But agriculturists facing extra woes this crop season should talk in advance, before problems bottom out, with people who can help. Family members, friends, clergy members and mental health professionals are all possibilities to combat mental duress.

On the financial side, ag bankers, agronomists, extension officials and equipment dealers, among other specialists, potentially can offer suggestions to mitigate financial concerns. No matter how smart or experienced a given farmer might be, there sometimes are better ways of doing things. Don’t let pride get in the way of learning, especially when times turn tough.

As for staying physically safe, ag producers already know the answer. Don’t rush, don’t hurry. Think through in advance of how to do a job safely, then follow through. Take short breaks during the work day. Get enough sleep. Eat properly and regularly. And don’t skimp on spending money to improve farm safety; a national expert on the subject once told me, as an example, that on his own farm he had unwisely used an old, rickety step ladder instead of buying a new, safer metal one.

All those things are easier said than done, of course, but all are true nonetheless.

Good luck in the 2024 crop season. I hope you’ll be profitable. But even more, I hope you’ll stay safe.

Grasslands

From Page maybe you should consider doing something other than cropping it because those soils are not going to have as good of rate of return as some of the better quality.”

And for those who already have their ground in grasslands, Perman encourages them to consider incorporating new practices in their operation to maximize their profit margins.

“Maybe you need to do something a little bit unconventional, maybe you need to look at rotational grazing of high-intensity short duration grazing,” he said. “Maybe bringing in another species that will eat some of the species, like sheep or goats, that would eat some of the plants that cattle wouldn’t. Maybe you should consider seeing if you could bring bees in and starting an apiary. There are maybe other options that you can look at when stacking enterprises that will make your grasslands something that is viable financially.”

The economics behind maintaining grasslands vary by each operation.

“These economic numbers are very individualized, they are meant for your operation and your operation alone,” Tuschen said. “Everybody’s land is different, everybody’s operation is a little different, so you need to find what fits for you.”

Once you identify the current state of your operation, you can determine the best steps moving forward.

“You might be in a spot right now in the time frame that you have with the financials that are available, you are in your best economic profitability for grazing management systems,” Tuschen said. “But if you do all that inventory and you get to the end and there’s something on that sheet that sends up a red flag for you, then it’s like ‘OK, how do we address it, what avenues do I have that I can fix this,’ that’s when you start talking to the USDA offices and any partner operations that are going on with other agencies and have them help you.”

Perman says when it comes to improving the grasslands, it’s all about education. He encourages people to learn about the species that are living in their local grasslands. ⊳