Did you know that there is a Lung Disease which affects primarily Farmers? It is actually called Farmer's Lung.

The symptoms of this disease are severe and they can return over and over again until a person becomes too sick to work.

What is Farmer's Lung?

It is a disease that people working with moldy hay can get from breathing the millions of tiny mold spores shaken out of a bale of moldy hay. Over time, some people develop an allergic reaction to them. The symptoms are serious, and once the allergic reaction begins, the person will always have the potential for symptoms with hay mold exposure.

What are the symptoms?

After working with moldy hay for several months or years, depending on the individual, the worker may begin to notice the following symptoms 4-6 hours after being exposed to the hay mold spores:

1. Increased coughing and bringing up more mucus than usual.
2. Fever and sometimes chills.
3. Shortness of breath.
4. Discomfort in the lungs, a tightness and/or pains in the chest.

Who can get Farmer's Lung?

Anyone who is allergic to the hay mold spores and breathes air filled with hay mold spores.

What is the cause?

Being exposed to hay mold spores, especially in a close space without good ventilation – such as a barn in the winter. It is not the hay itself – and fresh hay will not cause disease, but rather the mold which grows in baled hay which causes Farmer’s Lung.

What is the cure?

The main cure is to stay totally away from hay mold spores. Medication may help these symptoms, but it can’t completely prevent them if the farmer continues to be exposed to hay mold spores.

Why do farmer's who are allergic to hay mold feel worse in the winters?

1. Because farmers feed baled hay inside in the winter when the cows can’t pasture.
2. Because the mold spores stay in the air inside a closed barn.
3. Because the hay mold has had time to grow inside the bale.

What if moldy hay is not avoided?

A person with Farmer’s Lung who does not avoid hay mold may get sicker and sicker until he is no longer able to do hard work, and after many years, he may be unable to be active at all. People can die from Farmer’s Lung.

How can you stay away from moldy hay?

1. Use a milking parlor to keep feeding separate, and get someone else to feed the herd.
2. Use a free stall or open barn system along with excellent barn ventilation.
3. Feed haylage.
4. Use mold inhibitors.
5. Get out of farming. May help, but not foolproof... each farmer’s solution must be individualized.

What should you do if you think you have Farmer's Lung?

1. See your doctor. Tell the doctor your symptoms. Some doctors may not be very familiar with the disease...so it may be necessary for your doctor to refer you to a specialist.
2. A blood test, a chest x-ray and a breathing capacity test are some of the procedures that will be necessary in order to make sure that the disease is Farmer’s Lung. Other tests may be needed as well.

Are the symptoms of Farmer's Lung like any other disease?

Yes. Farmer’s Lung can be mistaken for pneumonia or other chest conditions. Also, some of the symptoms like shortness of breath and a lot of coughing over a long period of time are the same as those of emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer... if you have these symptoms see a doctor immediately!