April Newsletter

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
Addressing increased safety risks for farmers as we age

By Ian Chitwood
Ian Chitwood is the Chair of the AgSafe Alberta Board of Directors and farms near Airdrie, AB.

As an industry, it’s time for those of us in agriculture to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: we are getting older.

According to the latest agriculture census data, the average age of Canadian farmers is now 56, while the average age of farm operators has risen to 58. That same data confirms that these older farmers now make up the majority: more than 60 per cent of farm operators in Canada are now 55 and over, and that number has grown six per cent since 2016.

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Older farmers are a huge asset to our industry. They are a generation that has struggled through hardships unknown to newer generations, maintaining viable farms and ranches throughout challenging weather cycles, restrictive political and social environments, and fluctuating global market conditions.

They are invaluable to our industry, our businesses and our families, and we need them and their expertise more than ever. However, we must acknowledge another uncomfortable truth: these farmers are also our most vulnerable. The proof is in the stats, as 80 per cent of farm fatalities in Alberta from 2020-21 involved someone 50 or over.

No one can take your place, so please consider the risks that come with farming as we age and the easy steps, we can take to mitigate these risks.

Let’s consider why risks increase after age 50. As we age, so do the number of health issues we experience. These can include hearing and vision loss, slower reaction times, reduced sleep quality and muscle strength, as well as new medical conditions and side effects from medications.

Another factor is that older farmers tend to have established behaviour patterns, which they can be reluctant to change. While you might have been able to get away with doing things a certain way before – by luck, chance or physical abilities – this becomes less likely over time.

One final consideration here is that older farmers and ranchers often work alone. We know that this puts them even more at risk, as 50 per cent of farm safety incidents in Canada occur when the victim is working alone.

The greatest threat when working alone is being in an emergency situation without the ability to call for help. Unfortunately, I have my own experience in this area.

We had an incident where an employee pulled a pin on a loaded round bale wagon. There were no wheel chocks on the bale wagon, so it rolled forward, trapping them between the wagon and the tractor tire.

The employee was stuck there, with no phone, for more than 30 minutes before help arrived. We are extremely lucky this resulted in only minor injuries, but that is often not the case.

Unfortunately, stories like this are shockingly common. You could get caught in, or trapped under, a piece of equipment you were in the middle of repairing. You could have a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, and be left incapacitated. You could fall from a height and be left unconscious or so injured you can’t move.

In all these scenarios, if you’re working alone, without the means to call for help, the outlook can be grim.

I’m not asking you to imagine these things to make you miserable or anxious. I’m doing it because just knowing these risks makes you safer. Once you know the risks, you can better plan for how to mitigate them – and if you need help with those safety plans, AgSafe Alberta is here to assist you.

Older farmers often worry about the safety of everyone else around them – their family, their employees – without giving their own well-being a second thought. This is not a sustainable approach to safety.

Remember, no one can take your place.