Why are farmers known as hard working?

Um…because they are?

@canidmajor Why are they hard working?

Do you mean “ How are they hardworking?”
Land management, crop management, irrigation management, harvest management, business management (marketing and such), personnel management, emergency (weather problems) management, equipment management, and all that stuff.
Did you think they weren’t hard working? If so, why would you think that???

@canidmajor No. Why are they hard working ? What is the gift that they have? Is it religion? Work ethic? One mistake from bankruptcy or death and starvation? Is it a phrase or code that makes them hard working? Can it be taught?

Perhaps traditionally, if they aren’t hard-working, they tend to suffer and/or starve?

Maybe because they were raised to it and it’s all they know, all they have. Maybe because they like it. Your “why” is too subjective and broad. Why does anyone do anything?

Your question now makes no sense. It’s not a “belief”.

@Zaku Yes. That makes sense.

@canidmajor Ok.

Almost everyone I know rises to the demands of the job they are in, or they leave that job.

Farming, and other jobs that require physical labor, especially when outside in the elements, is hard work. Back in the day many children of farmers wound up being farmers themselves. They had less opportunity to explore other choices. Now, that isn’t true. In fact, many farmers get agricultural degrees at 4 year universities, and even before that K-12 educations is more diverse and more even across the country than say 50 or more years ago.

I recently heard in a presentation that in the US in the late 1800’s 50% of the population worked on farms. Now, 2% of our population works on farms.

They have to be or they fail.

Nah, all they have to do is put out the seeds. Everything else happens naturally. Everything just grows afterward. Their work is done once they throw seeds out there.

The suicide rate of British farmers remains alarmingly high, says it all I reckon.

I take it that you’ve never watched a farmer work!!!

I don’t know about the current generation of farmers, but my Gramps started work at 4:00 am. Then he didn’t take a break until he ate his lunch.On a hard day, he ate slow & took off a full hour to eat. Then he was back outside doing the planting or harvesting until it got too dark to see what he was doing…around 9:00 pm. Do the math, the man was working 17 hour days just to make sure that his family didn’t go hungry…yet I NEVER heard him utter one complaint about how hard he was working nor about how tired he was. He just got up the next morning & started all over!!! BT W, he lived to be 98 & it took 3 heart attacks in less than an hour to take him out of here.

He did a fine job as he had a house full of fat, happy kids, grand kids, great grand, etc!!!

@Yellowdog What? I assume farming includes crops and livestock.

They have to keep an eye on the crops, and eventually harvest the crops. Worries about flooding, drought, disease, pests, and extreme temperatures. If they have animals they need to keep an eye on the animals, they deal with pregnancies and births and health issues.

Yeah, riding around on a tractor all day beats working for a living.

^ You couldn’t do it!!!

WTH? Same shit as what people think about working retail. No respect.

Long days and no holidays. Animals and crops don’t care what day it is.

I’d love to see @Yellowdog bale hay. He wouldn’t last two minutes.

Because I know first hand farmers are the hardest working people because there are never set hours and you work and never reap the rewards compared to the work you put out. There are so many variables with the weather, extremely high cost of equipment, and NO vacations. The one job that is so important to other peoples lives gets the least appreciation. Might as well dig a hole and throw your money in….at least that is what is seems like. I know.

@JLeslie I have respect for anybody who is willing to work…especially those who work so hard & efficient that they make their job look easy even when it’s NOT!!!

Gosh, I thought @Yellowdog was kidding. Weren’t you kidding, @Yellowdog?

My Mom was born to Dutch immigrant farmers. They had 9 kids, only 2 were boys. Mom was the first born in America and second to last. Mom used to say her folks were trying to raise male farm hands. No prob. They just worked the girls like boys.

I hope @Yellowdog was kidding.

The harder they work the more money they make.

We can’t read @Yellowdog‘s mind and he made two separate posts with the same proclamation. It’s not our fault if we misunderstood him.

By “farmers”, I assume you mean the undocumented immigrants.

My Gramps wasn’t an undocumented immigrant. His family was welcomed with open arms & helped to make America GREAT the first time!!!

Try working a farm plus a FT job to support your family. Many farmers in my area do both, and the work never stops.

Depending on your farm (cattle, crop) you’ll spend time on those, vets, feed, cutting and storing hay, all kinds of things. It’s definately not a job for a lazy person.

Yes, I was kidding.

When I was eleven, I wanted to be a farmer. My sister and I were in line to inherit a family farm. I had relatives who raised cows and did a little farming. I joined 4-H and FFA.

I will testify that I doubt ANYONE could handle farming unless they were born into it and had been doing it all their lives. Just keeping the land cleared is too much work for those raised in the city or suburbs. I found that even organic gardening in the hot summer is a lot of work.

Anyone who wants to try just farming enough for their family, yes, its doable but not very cost effective.

Because they have to do it 24hours a day if the need is there, especially with livestock.
When a problem arises you have to be at it even if that means 3;00am.

The business end is at least as difficult as running a small business.

There IS some down time, though its rare. Most of the time, the work is like boot camp. Humans are capable of doing a lot more work than they think. But the physical labor is, well, like hard military-type work in its intensity. Hiring out the labor is not always cost effective unless you REALLY can manage the farm well.