Targeting work stress in dairy farming
UniSA
Psychology PhD student Alison Wallis knows what can drive a dairy farmer
to cry over spilt milk.
For the past four years Wallis has been investigating the work stress of
South Australia’s dairy farmers.
It’s a group she says at the time of the research had one of the highest
incidences of work-related stress in the nation.
“There hasn’t been a lot of research done on the stress levels of those
who are self-employed,” Wallis said.
“But we found that dairy farming produced some of the highest distress
scores of many Australian occupations.”
The research, supported by DairySA and an industry and farmer advisory
committee, was prompted by the deregulation of the national dairy
industry in mid 2000 where free market principles replaced a part-price
regulated system.
While deregulation played its part in feelings of stress and uncertainty
in farmers, the research showed there were many factors at play.
“Farming can be a very stressful occupation,” Wallis said.
“Research shows that work high in demand and low in control will result
in strain and anxiety.
“There are factors that directly affect a farmer’s livelihood that are
beyond their control, such as global markets, exchange rates and the
weather.
“So levels of uncertainty in these areas contribute to higher stress.”
This was shown through the study’s two surveys, conducted during the
national drought in the summers of 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Dairy farmer Ken Smith said while the drought affected other states more
than SA, there were still repercussions that hit home.
“We were affected by the drought we weren’t actually having,” Smith
said.
“Because other states were in a worse situation than us, they needed to
get feed grain from South Australia. We were used to paying about $170
tonne for feed barley. It went up to around $300 tonne. That happened
across two seasons.”
Wallis also found that dairy farmers have their own added work
pressures.
“There are additional factors affecting dairy farmers, such as the long
work hours they endure,” Wallis said.
“Dairy cows need to be milked twice a day, every day. That puts enormous
pressure on farming families because it never stops.”
Smith, who has been a part of the research project’s advisory committee,
agrees.
“Dairy farming is a seven day a week, all-year-round job. It takes
detailed organisation and discipline to even go on a holiday,” he said.
“It is not easy for dairy farmers to take holidays in the same way
wage-workers can. Not being able to take a break then adds to stress.”
Wallis’ research also identified key local factors affecting farmers’
sense of well-being.
“There were local issues affecting dairy farmers, such as their working
conditions and increasing environmental pressures,” Wallis said.
“At the time the farmers were facing an uncertain future, they were also
under immense community pressure to reduce the impact of dairy effluent
and farm nutrients leeching into the environment.
“Many felt strong pressure to make their farms cleaner and greener. And
while they had a desire to reach that goal, it’s an extremely costly
exercise – in time and money.”
Primary Industries and Resources SA dairy representative on the research
committee, Tony Morbey, says that while confidence was down during the
time of the UniSA study, there is still a bright future for the state’s
dairy industry.
“Farm numbers have dropped from 700 to 400 over the last five years, but
the number of cows and the volume of milk produced have stayed
relatively steady,” he said.
“And despite higher costs, farm-gate prices for milk are now the highest
they’ve been since before deregulation. We have some of the best farmers
and dairying areas in the world and there are opportunities for
production growth and value-adding through a large range of dairy
products.
“What is so great about Alison’s research is that it is giving us really
strong, objective data that tells us what is actually happening out
there on farms.
“It is enabling us to look at issues that are affecting farmers and
their families and really concentrate on the areas that government and
industry groups together can help improve – like developing programs to
increase farm profitability, reviewing work practices and conditions,
providing training in new technology and supporting improved
environmental practices.
“SA has developed a plan that shows the potential to increase the
state’s proportion of national milk production from seven to 10 per cent
by 2013, taking production from 700 million to $1.2 billion litres.
“This UniSA research will provide very useful information that can be
used during implementation of the plan.”