Date of News Release: Friday, April 15, 2005

With the new year, farmers start planning for all the new beginnings. Anticipation of getting on the land creates renewed excitement at being able to grow plentiful, healthy crops. In preparation for the busy time ahead, they order seed and fertilizer for planting and check supplies for fence and machinery repair.

With spring activities being so demanding, farmers have little time to spare. As farm wives, we can see this anxiety by the additional hours that are spent with these preparations.

To reduce this increased stress, we try to encourage three meals a day and a nap on rainy days. We remind them that they need to take care of themselves. Keeping themselves safe and healthy will allow them to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and their families.

Farmers love the land and their work. When spring arrives, farmers turn the land, smell the dirt, watch the seed grow, enjoy their animals romping in the pasture, and await newborn calves. Their stress levels drop dramatically as these new beginnings make all their hard work well worth it.