Are farmers in Ireland happy?

RobertKK

As a farmer I will say there are good years when you do well from farming, other years where it is very challenging.
It is not an easy way of life, it has the highest death rate for any job in this country, I think most farmers would know someone or of someone in their general region who died from a farm accident.
People go on about money, but the average income is less than the average industrial wage. There are much easier and safer jobs out there but most farmers have been brought up in the farming way of life and know of the challenges.
It is one of the vital jobs in society as farmers everywhere keep the people of the world fed.

So are farmers happy...yes and no, as a farmer you never know when you will be faced with some challenge, whether it is an outbreak of illness among livestock, financial, stuff getting broke, maybe a sheep farmer and having your sheep butchered by that nice friendly dog that wouldn't hurt a fly.
It can be lonely if you farm alone and living in an isolated spot doesn't help such a person.
On the other hand you are mostly your own boss. One might live in a very scenic location. Lots of peace and quiet. Job satisfaction. No need to go to a gym.
I am generally happy, but there are times when it can be nothing short of depressing, like with a bad TB outbreak or something else that leads to a loss of animals. A missing animal is another that weighs on the mind.
Bad weather too if it just continues can affect the mood. Getting the single farm payment lifts the mood, money in so you can pay the bills...

RobertKK

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

I always wondered how they become farmers. They usually own alot of land and machinery which must cost millions of euro for the bigger farms.

How do they decide to become farmers at such a young age and get the financing for it?

Most farmers inherit the farm from a parent or relation.

Dr Turk Turkelton

I reckon farmers are the happiest people in the world!
A bold statement perhaps but think about it for a moment-when are they happiest?
When they are complaining!
And boy can they complain.
Now don't get me wrong I love chatting to farmers cause there is always a bit of craic with them but it always starts with getting the complaints out of the way.
If we get two weeks of good weather it's too dry.
If we get two weeks of bad weather it's too wet.
Of we get two weeks of mixed weather-God only knows but it's not good anyhow!

tl;dr yes farmers are happy.

Senna

**Generalisation**
I think the lack of sympathy for Farmers when they start complaining is because they have assets, maybe even millions worth of land, they may not have much cash flow but they are all asset rich and one of the biggest beneficiary's of the Celtic Tiger were the farmers selling land at all corners of the country for huge prices.

r93kaey5p2izun

In my experience the farmers I know are significantly happier than average.

_Brian

Kovu wrote: »

There are a lot of up & downs in farming. Good suspension helps, along with a well padded arse


In a serious answer though, it can be a highly stressful job with long hours, many farmers have other work and farming is done early in the mornings & late in the evenings, with a notable lack of the social aspect you'd get working in an office. We'd also see a fair amount of animal mortality as part of the lifestyle, which a lot of people wouldn't take into account. It's never nice to see an animal die in front of you or find one dead after trying our best to keep it alive.

It certainly does have redeeming factors but they're worked hard for. It's also quite a volatile market and one year can be extraordinarily different from the next from angles such as weather that we don't have a choice in but have to take it as it comes.

(You'll have to take this with a pinch of salt as there are also farmers out there who sit on their arses and let the farm fall into disrepair around them while they spend their SFP on whatever takes their fancy)

Well made points..
I think the point on animal mortality is particularly important regarding farmers happiness.. Its not a well recognized fact that farmers do indeed care about their animals, farmers want their animals in the best health possible and seeing a fair share of animals die can get you down, if you get into a bad run it can be very a very tough solitary job indeed.. Its the most common thing I see getting lads down and right depressed about..
Similarly the buzz form a good year where stock are healthy and thriving, your working in the outdoors, things are going well, it jut can't be achieved in a regular 9-5.

The Strawman Argument

Senna wrote: »

**Generalisation**
I think the lack of sympathy for Farmers when they start complaining is because they have assets, maybe even millions worth of land, they may not have much cash flow but they are all asset rich and one of the biggest beneficiary's of the Celtic Tiger were the farmers selling land at all corners of the country for huge prices.

The thing here is, those assets for a lot of them are not just things you can trade about. When you've been farming from the age of 4, always aware that you're going to be inheriting the farm and running it yourself, you're gonna be institutionalised. By selling off a significant portion of your land, you're potentially selling off the only means which you know how to make a living. I'd imagine it's an absolute nightmare to adjust into anything else after farming for the first 30-40 years of your life.

Most the farmers I know who sold off sizable chunks of land were quite well off part timers. Not every farmer had road frontage that was worth a ****e too.

Nekarsulm

Senna wrote: »

**Generalisation**
I think the lack of sympathy for Farmers when they start complaining is because they have assets, maybe even millions worth of land, they may not have much cash flow but they are all asset rich and one of the biggest beneficiary's of the Celtic Tiger were the farmers selling land at all corners of the country for huge prices.

It's a bit like working in Intel or any other large organisation or company. The fixed assets are worth a fortune, but your still only making a living from them. If I sold your office in, for example, Apple, and give you the money and said "thats your lot, now pay tax at 40% and live off the lump sum and also provide a business for your children out of it" it might not seem such a rosy proposition. It is a industry which operates in reverse to many others. Instead of building g it up and selling out in order to retire to the sun, you build it up to pass on, hope for free, to your offspring.

forgotten password

i should be a farmer but my cúnt of an auntie sold the farm during the celtic tiger,

the stupid bitch even sold it without planning permission, cos she was told she couldn't get it,

it wasn't sold a week and the builders were in building Mcmansions,

anywho i'm lookin at a bit of land out in east germany, fair prices

For Forks Sake

ganmo wrote: »

I'd like to ask OP why he posted a question directed at farmers (I assume) in after hours rather than the farming forum where you'd get answers from the horses mouth

Ah here, if ever there was a forum where you'd actually get chased out with pitchforks it's that one.