Sick Days

We all just worked through a couple of weeks of something that closely resembled the flu. ...in fact Liz and the boss are still a bit under the weather. She just plain feels miserable and he coughs night and day.

However, none of us missed a milking. We didn't feel that we could. It is typical of farmers, who have animals and family members depending on them, to force themselves to work, no matter how sick or injured they may be.

Thus broken bones, concussions, and yes, even the flu, are not used as reasons for sleeping late and eating chicken soup. I will never forget when my late mother-in-law slipped on a grape on the kitchen floor and broke her her arm. She was in her eighties at the time. Not only did she forgo medical treatment, wrapping it in a towel and taping it up, but it was no time at all before she was prepping cows with her good arm. You could NOT keep her out of the barn.

Turns out that this situation is the industry norm. Dairy Herd had an interesting article on this study, about who takes the most and the least time off from their jobs for illness. 

I was delighted, if not surprised to read that, while farmers are among the least physically healthy in the nation, they are among the most emotionally healthy. Despite the challenges offered by the industry they feel respected and valued. 

And what's not to like about working outdoors surrounded by God's creatures, beautiful scenery, and since 98% of farms are family owned and run, your own family?

***Meanwhile state legislators are trying to unionize farm workers and make sure they get lots of time off no matter how urgent harvest matters may be. If this effort was being led by the NY's own farm employees I would get right behind it. However, it is downstate legislators and imported farm worker spokespeople leading the charge to promote the so-called Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act. Here is New York Farm Bureau's take on the matter.