A survey finding how farm-related noise exposure affects farmers’ hearing was conducted Monday at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau by NIU’s Communicative Disorders Department.

Communicative Disorders Professor Jim Lankford said 170 people came to have their hearing tested during the afternoon and the evening sessions.

Thirty people had to be turned away because there was not enough personnel, Lankford said. The testing was done by faculty, staff and graduate students in the department.

Lankford said there is a problem with farm noises affecting the hearing of farmers, but he said he is not sure to what extent. He said there are a number of farmers in the area with hearing loss and the loss is associated with the noise.

The survey of 46 farmers was only the start of the process. “I want to survey at least 100, maybe 200 farmers.” Lankford said the process will take at least a few more months.

More surveys and testing will be conducted in the area and in central Illinois. Lankford said the next testing and survey session in the area will be held sometime in January. He said, “Trouble with coordinating schedules, getting volunteers to work and getting the Farm Bureau Building” are the reasons the testing will not be conducted sooner.

There are two parts to Lankford’s study. Next year he plans to have farmers wear decimeters when working on the farm to measure the noise levels.

e said there also is a study being done in the woodworking shop at DeKalb High School where the students are wearing the decimeters. Lankford said new tractors and combines with enclosed cabs help minimize the noise factor.

Mariam Wassmann, DeKalb County Farm Bureau information specialist, agreed that the enclosed cabs do result in noise reduction. She said, “Most of the tractors sold do have cabs on them.” She also said the tractors with cabs are made better today than they were five or six years ago.

The idea to conduct a survey came to Lankford in August when he gave a presentation to the Farm Bureau Prime Timers (senior citizens) about hearing loss and noise. He took samples of tractor noise and played them during the presentation to show the farmers the type of noises to which they are exposed.