PC-06658 1997

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Parlor Profiles: Dairy Families Talk About Their Lives

The Study Overall

The Zumbro River Cluster (in the four southeastern Minnesota counties of Goodhue, Wabasha, Dodge and Olmsted) is dairy country. It boasts about 1,150 dairy herds, which generate approximately $123 million in annual income (1994 statistics, Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture). That number is slightly more than one-third of the cluster’s total agricultural income.

But dairy farming is much more than numbers in ledgers (or, these days, numbers on computer spreadsheets). Dairying provides a living for the many families who manage dairy farms. More important, it’s their way of life. There’s also one aspect of dairy farming that’s unique, something even other farmers don’t share—the extra time commitment dairy farms require. In dairy country, the cows must be milked every day—no matter what.

A Study Is Born

To learn what impact this central fact about dairy farming has on the way family members relate to each other and how they participate in their communities, and to discover what dairy families think about their lives, a team of five Minnesota Extension Service educators created the Zumbro River Cluster Dairy Research Project.

In the hope of finding ways to help dairy families find more satisfaction in their lives and be more successful, the team interviewed members of dairy families from each of the cluster’s four counties. Research questions centered on:

—	how they felt about dairy farming;
—	what they identified as sources of stress in their lives;
—	how they deal with those stresses.

Whenever possible, husbands and wives and other adult family members involved in the dairy operation were interviewed separately, using the same or similar questions. Those interviewed were chosen randomly. Thirty people, from 17 farms, shared their insights about their unique lifestyle. In the next few years, it is hoped that the information they provided will lead to programs that will not only benefit dairy farm families in the Zumbro River Cluster and elsewhere, but also prove helpful to other farm families.

That’s Farming

The families identified a number of things in their lives that caused stress, but despite this, nearly every family with children agreed there was one thing they liked about living on the farm: raising their families in an atmosphere they liked. It was also interesting that many of those interviewed took the heavy workload, the twice-a-day milking commitment and all their other problems in stride. Several of the items the researchers identified as probable sources of stress weren’t always perceived as such by the farm families. The typical response? “That’s farming.”

Pluses and Minuses

The interviews revealed several things that family members liked about dairy farming, plus quite a few areas that could cause stress.

Many dairy farmers expressed feeling very close to their cows. No doubt this is because the farmers spend so much time in close contact with their herd every day. Many people cited the independence they feel and the lifestyle as two desirable attributes of farming in general.

Dairy families also identified several issues that trouble them.
Issues Identified

lack of time to spend with family members
finances
total workload, including seasonal pressures, long days, and preoccupation with the farm
difficulty finding adequate child care
the role of older children on the farm
the roles of spouses on the farm
managing employees
multigenerational families living or working on the farm

Strategies to
Strengthen Families

Each of the twelve Parlor Profiles summary sheets include a section called “Strategies to Strengthen Families.” The strategies are suggestions from the research team, and are based on their interviews with families in the study, what they know from other research about child and family development and farm business issues, and work experience.

These strategies are intended to give families a starting point for discussion or action on issues of concern to them.

A Few Conclusions

Families reported lower levels of stress than expected.
Dairy farm families express a strong acceptance of their lifestyle; even when they report a variety of stressors.
The identity of the farmer and spouse is tied closely to the farm.
The farm business and family relationships are very closely intertwined.
Dairy farm families have a unique relationship with their cows.
When more than one generation is involved, it is often a source of stress and conflict (e.g.. expansions, vacations.).
Finances (or the lack of adequate finances) was expressed as a significant source of stress by dairy farm families.
With few expections, women are solely responsible for the homemaking and child care responsibilities. Often the responsibilities are in addition to large farm responsibilities or off-farm employment.
Many spouses have off-farm employment. Families reported varying levels of stress resulting from this employment.
Quality, dependable, labor is very hard to find.
Dairy farmers work a tremendous number of hours resulting in exhaustion and little time for marital relationships and parenting roles.
Families feel a lack of control over issues such as time and finances.
Families did not express use of several recommended business practices in managing farming operations (goal setting, asset transfer, employee evaluation, long-range financial planning).

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