# Daylight Savings Time for farmers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [February 29, 2000, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797 "2000-02-29T14:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/1 "2000-02-29T14:35:00Z")
I’m not, nor have I ever been a farmer, but it doesn’t seem hard to understand why they wouldn’t like DST. If I had to do my job at the same “solar” time every day, regardless of what the clock said, I would get upset if every spring they started putting Letterman on an hour later each night. Also, banks, stores, etc. open an hour later. You’re up at the crack of dawn, slop the hogs, etc., head into town, and the sidewalks are all rolled up because the city slickers are still eating their corn flakes. It must be frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/2 "2000-02-29T14:56:00Z")
Please add a link when you start a thread about a column topic: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_052.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_052.html) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/3 "2000-02-29T17:04:00Z")
What farmer stays up to watch Letterman? ---
**Author:** ![frolix8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@frolix8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frolix8)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/4 "2000-02-29T17:25:00Z")
The kind who are busy not growing things. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/5 "2000-02-29T17:56:00Z")
There’s also a strong opposition from so-called “Christian” loonies. The good news is that they’ve forgotten about their opposition to standard time and the Gregorian calendar, so they’ll probably forget this one, too. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/6 "2000-02-29T19:28:00Z")
My Dad was a farmer and he never complained about DST. Banks and the markets are different stories. * * * \>\ \_ **L\_\_\_L** ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/7 "2000-03-01T00:03:00Z")
Here’s a partial answer. I’m not a farmer, either, but I live in Indiana, where most of the state officially ignores DST. The story we get about the reason for our anti-DST policy is that the dairy farmers don’t like it. Indiana has quite a few dairy farmers, and they reportedly rant about being unable to set the cows back an hour. There are pockets of DST friendly counties at the northwest and southeast corners of the state, and they spring up and fall down to match the cities across the state line. * * * AskNott "Measure twice, cut once. Dang! Measure again, cut again. ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/8 "2000-03-01T04:08:00Z")
My dogs are still complaining that I feed them an hour late every evening. They start circling and barking at 4PM, stopping to give me the eye, trying telepathy. I make them wait because I know I’ll be a real hero when we change back to SDT. * * * Are you driving with your eyes open or are you using The Force? - A. Foley ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/9 "2000-03-01T05:08:00Z")
NO NO NO we really like that extra hour of sunshine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/10 "2000-03-01T15:58:00Z")
Idiots Now Cecil. There are several things that can’t be done around the farm when the grass is wet with dew. Two come to mind immediately. Cutting hay Raking and baling too for that matter. The other is spraying for weeds. There aren’t many farmers nowadays that farm exclusively. Most have another job. Sometimes that is 2nd shift. That means that there is 1 hour of (free to farm)time lost. 4 PM is actually 3pm . “And thats all I have to say about that” Forrest Gump ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/11 "2000-03-14T11:30:00Z")
Of COURSE farmers hate DST! That extra hour of sunshine every day burns up the crops! * * * Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2000, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/12 "2000-03-15T17:16:00Z")
“Of COURSE farmers hate DST! That extra hour of sunshine every day burns up the crops!” I hope that wasn’t serious! 🙂 I’m not a farmer but spent a fair amount of time in Fargo, where to a great extent the economy still revolves around farmers. I always understood that the problem arises when farmers, whose lives are ruled by the sun, have to do things in town, where people live by the clock. In natural time, dawn arrives at, say, 5:30 a.m., cows get milked, work gets done, and then quitting time happens at dusk, say, 7:30. Enough time, theoretically, to go into town for, say, the zoning board meeting at 8:00. Now we move it into DST. Dawn arrives at 6:30 a.m. (by the clock), work still isn’t finished until dusk, which is now at 8:30. Guess what, the zoning board still meets at 8:00. Farmer either has to quit work early or miss part or all of the meeting. Since most farmers are living precarious lives financially, losing an hour of work because city folk want light in the evening feels like a very big deal. * * * …oh, never mind… ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/13 "2000-03-16T06:37:00Z")
Actually, DST is a plot devised by the sun-block manufacturers. They had evidence that the earth’s ozone layer was being depleted long before anyone else did, but kept it a secret until they managed to get DST firmly established. Then they leaked hints about the Antarctic ozone hole to scientists to create a panic about skin cancer. That extra hour of sunlight every day is worth millions in sun-screen revenues every year. 😉 * * * Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant. ---
**Author:** ![Michael0916](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Michael0916](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael0916)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/14 "2000-03-16T21:42:00Z")
Well my grandfather’s a farmer (okay so I’m just a little younger than you guys). There is still the same number of daylight hours in the day. It’s just that they come at a different time. And time is irrelevant because it’s all a trick of the mind that we actually believe. So people just forget about farmers who watch David Letterman and realize that DST overall doesn’t make THAT MUCH of a difference. The human species can survive with or without it. * * * –Michael Or would you rather talk about monkeys? ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/15 "2000-03-17T03:13:00Z")
Just to clarify for those who seem to be in doubt: YES! BOTH POSTS WERE MEANT TO BE HUMOROUS! I AM NOT AS STUPID AS I APPEAR! (not quite, anyway) (note to self: don’t tease the newbies - they’ll just think you’re an idiot.) * * * Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the hydrant. ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/16 "2000-03-17T15:48:00Z")
When DST kicks in, banks, store, and David Letterman don’t come on an hour later, they come on an hour EARLIER. Today, Letterman starts at 11:35 pm EST. Next month, he will start his show at 10:35 EST (11:35 EDT). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/17 "2000-03-18T04:46:00Z")
Good catch, bizerta. ---
**Author:** ![Saxifrage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Saxifrage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saxifrage)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/18 "2000-03-27T05:53:00Z")
A small thing in regards to the Daylight Savings Time. Sydney had just started DST, apparently so we’re ready when the Olympics start. The whole east coast of Australia has followed suit except for Queensland. The reason being that the Premier (like Governor or something…) stated ‘I will not inflict an early daylight savings to my people’. Even the Government doesn’t know what to do with it. Although the Premier’s wife a few years ago was quoted, probably inaccuratedly, but these are Queenslanders, as saying that she didn’t like DST because it faded the curtains. With the advent of WST (World Standard Time which will probably be GMT) we’ll be able to do away with it altogether. I may have to go to work at 11:00pm, but at least I won’t have to reset my watch when I go overseas. ---
**Author:** ![laphroaig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@laphroaig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laphroaig)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/19 "2000-03-28T02:48:00Z")
I have given this subject a lot of thought over the years … I think I have a solution. We should divide the day into two periods of twelve hours (why twelve ? Dunno … because it has a lot of factors ?). One period should begin in the middle of the day (hereafter, midday) and the other in the middle of the night (hereafter, midnight). We should get the best minds in the chronometer industry to devise a mechanism that allows people who want to get up an hour earlier in summer to do so without interrupting the lives of the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797/20 "2000-03-28T16:44:00Z")
laphroaig, your suggestion makes no sense. If it’s just a matter of some people wanting to get up earlier, they can set their watches early. The issue is setting schedules for things like schools. That requires everyone to be on the same schedule. And what does dividing the day into 2 twelve hour periods do, other than change the nomenclature? We have a much more refined system - 24 one hour periods. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daylight-savings-time-for-farmers/1797.md?page=2)