One of the hardest jobs in the world is being a farmer. They must start working at sunrise, or often earlier, and they’re out until sundown, checking on crops and livestock. Another part of farming is handling some of the many problems that emerge and potentially derail operations. Continue reading to learn about some of the most common problems farmers experience.
Climate Change
One problem that affects the entire world is climate change, and it is a big problem for farmers. The climate is vital for growing produce and raising livestock, and climate change makes everything unpredictable and even inhospitable. Agriculture has traditional growing and harvesting seasons, but climate change keeps the temperatures higher throughout the year, causing foods to grow differently. Similarly, the cold is much harsher in the winter and can destabilize entire farming operations by hurting livestock, soil, and produce.
Not to mention, the increase in natural disasters and other weather emergencies due to climate change significantly complicates farming. Heavy rain can cause flooding, and lack of rain can cause drought and lead to forest fires.
Equipment Failure
A common issue faced by farmers and many others in industrial jobs is equipment failure. Farmers rely on a lot of different equipment, and that goes for smaller farms as well as industrial operations. They rely on tractors, irrigation systems, pesticides, storage tanks, and grain mills. Unfortunately, all of this equipment may fail at some point.
For example, many farms use water storage tanks to protect the farm’s water. A water storage tank can last for years, about 20-30 years, to be more specific. Some can last even longer, but it all depends on multiple factors. Different materials will hold up better over time, and the ways farmers use water storage tanks also affect their lifespan. Each piece of equipment on the farm is like this, but many are subject to random failures that can cause a significant hitch in the farm’s daily routine.
Trade Wars
Another problem that farms experience is trade wars and overall inconsistency regarding the demand for their products. Consumer trends are unknowable, but you can generally predict how people will buy food and what’s in demand. As time progresses, these trends are harder to predict and become even more concerning when looking at agriculture on a global scale. Agriculture in America is shipped overseas to places like China, but as China works towards stronger independence, the longevity of this relationship comes into question.
Farmers experience many problems, but through it all, they get up and do their jobs. They are hardworking and understand that many of these problems are just part of the job. As time passes, newer improvements routinely emerge that make their job easier and address some of the problems they face.
