r/FarmingUK

Hello everyone!
I’m an Industrial Design Engineering student currently working on a project focused on the ergonomics of farm work.
The idea for this project came from noticing a potential gap in design: I feel that farmers’ needs and everyday challenges do not receive enough attention, particularly when it comes to comfort and work ergonomics.
I don’t want to come up with a problem just by sitting at my desk. Instead, I’d like to hear directly from people who work on farms every day.
I would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer some questions. Hopefully, it won’t take more than 2–3 minutes. This is not about selling any product I simply want to learn about your real-life experiences.
1. What kind of work do you do on your farm?
(e.g. cattle, pigs, crop farming, orchards, vegetables, machinery, etc.)
2. Which tasks make you feel the most physically tired or exhausted?
3. During which tasks do you spend the longest time in one position?
For example, standing, bending over, squatting, kneeling or sitting.
4. Is there any task during which you wish you could sit down or lean on something for a while, but you don’t have that option?
If so, which task?
5. Do you often have to squat, kneel or bend over for long periods while working?
If so, what kind of tasks require this?
6. Is there any task where you constantly have to change positions because none of them feels comfortable?
7. Which parts of your body feel the most strain during work?
Your back, knees, hips, legs, neck, hands, or somewhere else?
8. Do you use any stools, seats, supports or other equipment to make your work more comfortable?
If so, what works well, and what do you feel is missing?
9. If you could make one thing about your daily work easier, what would it be?
10. And most importantly: is there any task that makes you think, “This is so uncomfortable,” even though you do it almost every day?
If so, please tell me what it is. 🙂
Every response, even a short one, would be incredibly helpful. There are no right or wrong answers. I’m particularly interested in those everyday, seemingly minor problems that often go unnoticed.
Thank you so much for taking the time to help! ❤️

Hello all.
Firstly I must appologise for this but I kind of want to know now.

So this morning I was working at an event where a Dairy Farmer was giving a speech and I just have one question that I was unable to ask.

Do dairy farmers get decensatised to seeing cows? Or do you still have the same excitement each morning when you walk past and see them?
As every time I'm driving anywhere, be in road motorway or even on TV I see a cow and have to announce their presence.

Again.
I appologise for this bizar question.

Looking for wellie recommendations:

I spend quite a bit of time in blackthorn hedges and I'm getting fed up of thorns coming through my wellies. I also spend lots of time walking very muddy fields, so I need something that can handle the mud and varied terrain (tarmac, grass, stone, mud). And is ideally light and comfy, whilst also not making me look like I've joined the circus. Anyone out there doing fieldwork / hedge work that has a favourite they could recommend?

Got a bit of a tricky situation going on with the family farm and I wasn’t sure where to ask. I will keep it vague just in case there are family members snooping, although they will likely work it out if they so wish.

So basically, the farm is currently owned by the family as a whole due to inheritance a few years back. However, it is my parents who are living in the farmhouse and have basically ran the farm for the last 20+ years, but they are now looking to retire and things have basically wound down and they don’t own any animals or anything like that. Another family member has livestock on the fields, as far as I know, the animals are registered to them and them alone. They don’t pay any rent or anything for the fields, basically because they have an ownership stake.

Now here is the issue. The family member is not looking after the animals. We have had multiple deaths, that my parents report to the family member, and he just doesn’t do anything about. My parents are having to deal with the dead animals.

My worry is, that my parents could be held liable for these deaths. Is that the case? Does anyone know?

I am a youngish lado 27 years of age would love to help a farmer out in Yorkshire will put my hand to pretty much any thing to be fair pretty good with hands on task building fixing landscaping fencing bits of roofing bit of all sorts really and would love to help with animals all I would ask in return is a small section of land to raise any farm animals on maybe a horse donkey or some thing and maybe a little shack to stay in. I will do labour

Thanks

Hope to hear from some one who needs a hand or 2 my partner pretty good with horses