Doctors and Farming

It is technically the off-season for farmers right now. They are not in the fields at the moment to plant or to harvest. They spend most of the winter in the shop working on various things around the farm and getting things ready for spring time. I have always wondered when do farmers go to the doctor? They are always so busy. This past February I saw my dad go to the dentist for a filling that was supposed to be done in October.

I also know that farmers will sometimes refuse to ever go to the doctor. During the winter a lot of things can happen. While working something can fall and hit their foot. We all know it’s calving season and sometimes a cow can get angry and the farmer isn’t quite as fast as he once was. However no matter how banged up a farmer may get they still finish the work they have to do that day. Then when they finally do come home they find a frozen bag of peas and slap it on the area that hurts. If they are told, “You should go to the doctor.” They just quickly respond, “It’s a long way from my heart” or “I’ll just throw some dirt on it.” My favorite response is when they say, “Oh it will be fine by tomorrow,” but in reality it is just bigger and more swollen with the deepest dark purple color that I have ever seen.

Why are rough, tough, and gruff farmers so scared of a doctor or a dentist and hate to even go there? Every farmer I know is a superb animal care specialist. They can treat a pig, pull a calf, and duct tape up farm kid’s finger with their eyes closed. They are awesome at all of this doctor stuff yet why are they so scared to be the patient?


Farmers are used to being in control. They hate to give that power to someone else.A doctor might make them run more tests, or worse yet, make them take a few days off! Gasp! How does the farm survive? A farmer on vacation is one thing, but a farmer laid up in the house is quite another. Good luck with getting a farmer to a well check appointment and even more luck is needed to get them there when they are ailing. Maybe reading this article will help them realize they need that extra attention just like they expertly give their pigs, calves, and kids. Let’s keep our farmers healthy and haul them to their appointment tied up in the livestock trailer if we have to! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer