Hiromi Kato, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Miho Sato, Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hiroshi Ono, Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Makiko Noguchi, Faculty of Nursing, Japan Red Cross College of Nursing, etc. When the research group of Hokkaido investigated the mental condition of dairy farmers in Hokkaido, it was found that the more well-managed farms were, the worse the mental condition of the owners was.
The research group analyzed 81 dairy farmers in Hokkaido about how management factors such as high economic efficiency and the amount of concentrated feed supplied affect their mental health.
According to the report, the depressive tendency of dairy farmers was not significantly related to the concentration of management and milking type, but it was well managed such as high economic efficiency, sufficient amount of concentrated feed, and high milk quality. The more the farm, the stronger the tendency of depression.
Economics, feed and milk quality are related to each other and influence each other.It is estimated that the psychological stress level of dairy farmers is increasing due to the simultaneous achievement of proper financial condition, cattle feeding environment, and maintenance of milk quality.
In the past, it was thought that the better the management, the higher the mental health, but the results of this study disagree with it and clarify the relationship between management factors and mental health for the first time.The research group believes that in order to promote sustainable agriculture, it is necessary to continue research that contributes to the improvement of the welfare of farmers.
Paper information:[Journal of Dairy Science] The relationship between management factors in dairy production systems and mental health of farm managers in Japan
