Health News
- 17 Percent Of Kentuckians Lack Food Security; Beef Council To Help On Local Level With Donations To Food Banks
More than 750,000 people in Kentucky, 17 percent of those living in the commonwealth, do not always know where they will find their next meal, according to Feeding America?s Map the Meal Gap study. Among Kentucky's children, the number of those experiencing...
- State Insurance Exchanges Are Good For Farmers And Other Rural Residents, Farmers Union President Writes
Farmers and rural Americans have much to gain from state health-insurance exchanges under federal health reform, since "Rural residents often have the hardest time getting health insurance," the president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union argues...
- Usda Launches Online Tool To Link Farmers With Nearby Consumers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled its newest tool to promote local food systems, an online instrument that lets viewers see what local and regional food projects are under way in their area and read case studies, watch videos and see pictures...
- Eastern Ky. Jumps On National Gardening Bandwagon, Big Time
In response to the downturn of the economy, people in Morgan County and the rest of Eastern Kentucky have turned to their roots ? getting down in the dirt and growing a vegetable garden, reports Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times. The offshoot is...
- The Question Of Organic Food
By Sandra Crockett So you want to eat healthy but are confused about all the different guidelines. It?s pretty clear to most people that trans fat is something to limit in your diet or stay away from altogether. The same is true of high fructose corn...
Health News
Farmers work long past regular retirement age, and many doctors lack the knowledge to help keep them healthy
"Farmers' stark commitment to work is borderline obsessive, and researchers are beginning to develop new guidelines to better understand farmers, whose strong cultural and emotional ties to the farm drive their work ethic," reports Karin Pekarchik of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture about a study by the UK College of Nursing's Deborah Reed. Findings show that 40 percent of 1,423 Kentucky and South Carolina farmers aged 50 and over defined health as the "ability to work," causing them to work well after retirement age. Reed told Pekarchik she hopes these results will help medical personnel better understand farming culture so they can better relate to farmers.
"The average Kentucky farmer is 57 ? 13 years older than the average worker. Kentucky's farming population mirrors that of the entire United States, making this a nationwide topic," Pekarchik writes. Reed told her most farmers have two jobs and don't list farming as their primary occupation, keeping doctors from screening for things like skin cancer and cataracts, common ailments associated with working outdoors.
Another alarming statistic is that farmers have the highest suicide rates of any occupation, most likely because they're "exposed to unrelenting and multifaceted stress and pressure," Pekarchik writes. The resulting stress from hard physical labor, long work days throughout the year, enduring vagaries of nature and livestock, adverse weather conditions, market fluctuations, government policy changes and family pressure can lead to suicide.
Reed told Pekarchik farmers, even from a young age, should be aware of the physical and mental problems that could ail them later in life. Reed suggests farmers use sunscreen, wear wide-brimmed hats, use hearing protection and wear sturdy shoes and use a walking stick to eliminate falls. (Read more)
"The average Kentucky farmer is 57 ? 13 years older than the average worker. Kentucky's farming population mirrors that of the entire United States, making this a nationwide topic," Pekarchik writes. Reed told her most farmers have two jobs and don't list farming as their primary occupation, keeping doctors from screening for things like skin cancer and cataracts, common ailments associated with working outdoors.
Another alarming statistic is that farmers have the highest suicide rates of any occupation, most likely because they're "exposed to unrelenting and multifaceted stress and pressure," Pekarchik writes. The resulting stress from hard physical labor, long work days throughout the year, enduring vagaries of nature and livestock, adverse weather conditions, market fluctuations, government policy changes and family pressure can lead to suicide.
Reed told Pekarchik farmers, even from a young age, should be aware of the physical and mental problems that could ail them later in life. Reed suggests farmers use sunscreen, wear wide-brimmed hats, use hearing protection and wear sturdy shoes and use a walking stick to eliminate falls. (Read more)
- 17 Percent Of Kentuckians Lack Food Security; Beef Council To Help On Local Level With Donations To Food Banks
More than 750,000 people in Kentucky, 17 percent of those living in the commonwealth, do not always know where they will find their next meal, according to Feeding America?s Map the Meal Gap study. Among Kentucky's children, the number of those experiencing...
- State Insurance Exchanges Are Good For Farmers And Other Rural Residents, Farmers Union President Writes
Farmers and rural Americans have much to gain from state health-insurance exchanges under federal health reform, since "Rural residents often have the hardest time getting health insurance," the president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union argues...
- Usda Launches Online Tool To Link Farmers With Nearby Consumers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled its newest tool to promote local food systems, an online instrument that lets viewers see what local and regional food projects are under way in their area and read case studies, watch videos and see pictures...
- Eastern Ky. Jumps On National Gardening Bandwagon, Big Time
In response to the downturn of the economy, people in Morgan County and the rest of Eastern Kentucky have turned to their roots ? getting down in the dirt and growing a vegetable garden, reports Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times. The offshoot is...
- The Question Of Organic Food
By Sandra Crockett So you want to eat healthy but are confused about all the different guidelines. It?s pretty clear to most people that trans fat is something to limit in your diet or stay away from altogether. The same is true of high fructose corn...