Farming is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Not only is there weight on every farmer’s shoulders to feed the world, but there’s also plenty of other mental and physical challenges they have to overcome on a daily basis. Landus is creating an even bigger focus on maintaining strong overall health with the recent hiring of Dr. Dehra Harris as Senior Director of Training and Performance. Dr. Harris is joining Landus after some time supporting Major League Baseball athletes as the Director of Performance Research and Education for the Toronto Blue Jays. As evidenced by her time with athletes, Dr. Harris said she’s always been drawn to helping people who have to perform at a high level.
Dr. Harris said that many of resources and practices they use for athletes can also be applied to farmers.
While she is new to the ag community, Dr. Harris said the strength of the ag community and the ability of farming families to support each other through the toughest times has stood out to her.
There are plenty of unique challenges that farmers face, and Dr. Harris said she is ready to take a deep dive and figure out the best ways to provide support.
The mental challenges can be especially difficult to talk about, but Dr. Harris said having those conversations and not being afraid to ask for help are both very important.
Of course, there are plenty of physical challenges that farmers face on a daily basis as well. In the same way that different position players in baseball have different workouts, Dr. Harris said they can build training programs for the different tasks that farmers do.
Dr. Harris added that she’s even noticed that people outside of the ag industry have a ton of respect for the work that farmers do.
All in all, Dr. Harris said she is grateful for the opportunity to work with Landus and provide the healthcare that farmers need.
For more information, visit landus.ag.
