It’s that time of year when all of our hard work pays off. Our tomatoes ripen, the zucchini won’t quit growing, and all those peppers, eggplants, melons (all the heavy stuff) start rolling in. I speak as a vegetable farmer, but this applies to anyone working the fields, pastures, orchards and more: It’s time to talk about burnout.
My definition of “burnout”: when someone who loves something so much they do it so intensely that within a few years they're forced give it up. After burning out, they would rather do anything than the thing that brought them so much joy…. the ultimate tragedy.
I see traces of burnout in most younger farmers I meet. It’s a taboo word, but the consequences are too dire to bury under guilt and shame. So let’s talk about it! It’s a natural consequence of giving 110%, harvesting by headlamp, working so many markets that your smile muscles wear out. So here they are, my ten recommendations for avoiding burnout:
1) Get together with your peers - Guild meetings, EcoFarm, Hoes Down, Small Farm Conference - we have a wealth of convergences nearby, and often. We can use these meetings to vent, to share resources (and food!), to spread awareness, and to laugh at the vagaries inherent in land-based work. While solitude is good (and necessary!) - isolation is something that can really accelerate burnout.
2) Practice saying 'no' - even to customers! If you're working off of plan (see #10), how does this latest opportunity fit into your plan? If it doesn't - can it wait 'til next year? The road to burnout is paved with good intentions.
3) Read poetry before your workday. With other people if possible. Aloud.
4) Take time to stretch and keep your core strong. Try to reduce the role of physical injury via prevention.
5) Do something that isn't farming. Write it into your calendar. Hike. Surf. Lie in a Hammock with a good book and a gimlet. Go to the Movies. These are the things that keep us sane, and over the long haul, taking time for them will keep your love of land-based work from feeling obligatory or forced.
6) Talk to older and/or more experienced farmers. Explicitly ask them about experiences with burnout. Seek them out. Some of the best reminders for me to slow down and enjoy the beauty of a life in agriculture have been people in their 60's and 70's, reminding me that life is short - and they also have really great tips on how to do things more efficiently, and stories that illustrate mistakes to avoid.
7) Embrace labor-saving technology. But not so much that it takes the fun out of it for you. Machines and computers can really make the difference - but be aware of the 'treadmill' effect of running faster and faster (i.e. buying more and more tractor implements) to stay in one place. For example, my golf-cart is the most useful tool on the farm, because the energy and time it saves us from schlepping things back and forth can be put into other pursuits.
8) Normalize the fact that people who work the land also go on vacation!! It's important to get away, and to meet people in other places - see how they farm if you like, but go, go, go.
9) Be explicit about your goals - write them down. There is no downside! It's not a contract with anyone. It can change. But having it written and visible can really help keep you oriented when confronted with an opportunity or challenge (or with general chaos). Ask yourself: "What does success look like to me?"
10) Off season planning - This can and will save you time later on. Make a map of your field/pasture and have an 'ideal plan'. Write down how much money you want to make, and how you're going to make it. Refer to this throughout the year to help guide decision-making. Why plant more tomatoes next year if you couldn't pick them all this year? How can you make sure that there is lettuce in every other CSA box for 30 weeks?
Joey Smith,
Owner/Manager, Let’s Go Farm
Santa Rosa, CA
My definition of “burnout”: when someone who loves something so much they do it so intensely that within a few years they're forced give it up. After burning out, they would rather do anything than the thing that brought them so much joy…. the ultimate tragedy.
I see traces of burnout in most younger farmers I meet. It’s a taboo word, but the consequences are too dire to bury under guilt and shame. So let’s talk about it! It’s a natural consequence of giving 110%, harvesting by headlamp, working so many markets that your smile muscles wear out. So here they are, my ten recommendations for avoiding burnout:
1) Get together with your peers - Guild meetings, EcoFarm, Hoes Down, Small Farm Conference - we have a wealth of convergences nearby, and often. We can use these meetings to vent, to share resources (and food!), to spread awareness, and to laugh at the vagaries inherent in land-based work. While solitude is good (and necessary!) - isolation is something that can really accelerate burnout.
2) Practice saying 'no' - even to customers! If you're working off of plan (see #10), how does this latest opportunity fit into your plan? If it doesn't - can it wait 'til next year? The road to burnout is paved with good intentions.
3) Read poetry before your workday. With other people if possible. Aloud.
4) Take time to stretch and keep your core strong. Try to reduce the role of physical injury via prevention.
5) Do something that isn't farming. Write it into your calendar. Hike. Surf. Lie in a Hammock with a good book and a gimlet. Go to the Movies. These are the things that keep us sane, and over the long haul, taking time for them will keep your love of land-based work from feeling obligatory or forced.
6) Talk to older and/or more experienced farmers. Explicitly ask them about experiences with burnout. Seek them out. Some of the best reminders for me to slow down and enjoy the beauty of a life in agriculture have been people in their 60's and 70's, reminding me that life is short - and they also have really great tips on how to do things more efficiently, and stories that illustrate mistakes to avoid.
7) Embrace labor-saving technology. But not so much that it takes the fun out of it for you. Machines and computers can really make the difference - but be aware of the 'treadmill' effect of running faster and faster (i.e. buying more and more tractor implements) to stay in one place. For example, my golf-cart is the most useful tool on the farm, because the energy and time it saves us from schlepping things back and forth can be put into other pursuits.
8) Normalize the fact that people who work the land also go on vacation!! It's important to get away, and to meet people in other places - see how they farm if you like, but go, go, go.
9) Be explicit about your goals - write them down. There is no downside! It's not a contract with anyone. It can change. But having it written and visible can really help keep you oriented when confronted with an opportunity or challenge (or with general chaos). Ask yourself: "What does success look like to me?"
10) Off season planning - This can and will save you time later on. Make a map of your field/pasture and have an 'ideal plan'. Write down how much money you want to make, and how you're going to make it. Refer to this throughout the year to help guide decision-making. Why plant more tomatoes next year if you couldn't pick them all this year? How can you make sure that there is lettuce in every other CSA box for 30 weeks?
Joey Smith,
Owner/Manager, Let’s Go Farm
Santa Rosa, CA
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