SWOH | Cooperator - 9/4/2024 16:00
I think it's true, but I don't know if it's been proved statistically. Even though farming is ranked near the top of stressful occupations, farmers do seem to live long lives. My father was still actively farming at 80, before he was killed in an accident.
I think most people believe that it's mostly due to a healthy lifestyle and healthy food, but I thing there might be one more reason, well water. Good well water has a lot of the trace elements that are disappearing from our farmland. Treated water supplies have had most of the minerals removed, therefore, it stands to reason that untreated well water probably has more trace minerals than other water.
I talked with a soil scientist from Cornell University, Ross Welch, and he has produced a lot of research showing that many of the elements we need, are no longer in the food we produce. Perhaps in addition to all the other healthy things farmers do, their drinking water may be helping them get into advanced old age.
I would disagree with that analysis. I know several widowed farm wives that are in their 80’s or 90’s whose husbands died in their 60’a and 70’s. Both of my grandfathers are 95, one was a plumber and retired 30 years ago, the other a farmer that worked until he was 87 and went to a nursing home. I lost my grandmother when she was 79 years old to dementia. She was the farm wife, we just buried my other grandmother (plumber’s wife) last week. She was 95 and in good health until the end of last year when she fell and broke her pelvis and went downhill fast. My farming grandfather lived in town on city water for 50 years. My grandmother (dementia) lived on well water in the country her whole life (divorced) my other grandparents live on city water most of their lives. I don’t know very many old farmers around here. I know more old non farm people. |
Why do farmers live longer than average?
