Don’t Blame Farmers for Daylight Saving Time
Every year in the United States, we set our clocks ahead in the spring for daylight saving time, a practice that delays sunrise and sunset by an hour. While many love the extra-long summer nights that come with this tradition, others would rather keep our clocks the same year round. And though many believe that this time change began in order to accommodate farmers, they actually couldn’t be more wrong.
So what’s the true story? Read on to learn about its history of daylight saving time, which countries and U.S. states recognize it, how farmers really feel about it, and whether or not it’s likely to stick around.
What Is Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward during part of the year, typically by one hour in the spring or summer. This results in an “extra” hour of daylight in the evening.
Who Recognizes Daylight Saving Time?
Most of Europe and North America practice daylight saving time, along with parts of Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania.
Do All States Have Daylight Saving Time?
Although the majority of the United States recognizes daylight saving time, Arizona and Hawaii have opted out of the practice. U.S. territories like American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam also don’t observe daylight saving time.
The History of Daylight Saving Time
So it was the farmers who created daylight saving time, right? Wrong!
Germany was the first country to recognize daylight saving time in 1916, and it was part of an effort to reduce energy consumption during World War I (an extra hour outside meant less time inside with the lights on). Weeks later, the United Kingdom embraced it.
Contrary to common belief, American farmers did not support daylight saving time when the U.S. first adopted the practice in 1918. Like in Germany, the American shift to daylight saving time was part of an energy-saving effort during World War I. Farmers successfully rallied against the practice in 1919, though this annual time change rose again during World War II. However, it didn’t become a permanent practice until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was passed.
How Do Farmers Feel About Daylight Saving Time?
While every individual is different, many farmers feel that daylight saving time doesn’t change life on their farm.
“Most farmers are up well before the sun year round,” the American Farm Bureau Federation explains. “A later sunset doesn’t change when cows need to be milked, when chickens are fed or when crops need to be harvested.”
At the same time, daylight saving time can create real problems for farmers. For instance, if hired hands have to wait for an extra hour for daylight to start working in the morning but still leave at the same time in the evening, then less work gets done, according to this AgAmerica article.
All in all, farmers aren’t big fans of daylight saving time.
“The farmers I talk to would want the time to stay the same year round,” Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen told Nebraska Public Media. “They’d like to look up at the sky and see the sun in the middle of the sky at noon.”
See more: What Do Farmers Do in the Winter? A Lot More Than You Might Think
Does Daylight Saving Time Conserve Energy?
Yes, but not much. A 1975 U.S. Department of Transportation study found that the practice only reduced electricity usage by about 1% in the spring and fall months. However, more recent studies have indicated that cost savings on lighting are being offset by greater cooling expenses. Some have also asserted that more recreational activity during daylight saving time results in greater gasoline consumption.
Meanwhile, researchers at Stanford say that “while there is still disagreement about whether or not daylight saving time saves or wastes energy, trends in technology seem to show that the energy returns are and will continue to diminish.”
How Does Daylight Saving Time Affect Health?
A number of health professionals believe that daylight saving time can negatively impact our health by disrupting our natural sleep cycle and leading to sleep deprivation. This could lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes along with more car accidents and workplace injuries, and it could exacerbate conditions like depression, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder.
In fact, one 2020 study reported a 6% increase in car accidents following the springtime change in the United States.
See more: Guide to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
Is Daylight Saving Time Ending?
Over the years, lawmakers have made several attempts to make daylight saving time permanent. For instance, a 2022 bill aiming to do just that passed in the U.S. Senate but did not make it through the House.
Tufts University Professor Michael Downing noted in a video that Congress has extended the period of daylight saving time by a month every 20 years since 1966. “Literally speaking, daylight saving has become our standard time,” he says. “I don’t think it’s ever going away.”
In fact, at least 20 states, including Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, have passed laws or resolutions to move to daylight saving time year round, if allowed by Congress. This would mean that states wouldn’t “fall back” in October or November, as usual.
Experts at the University of Colorado-Boulder say this is a bad idea, explaining that it would result in more dark mornings in the winter. In a place like Colorado, this would mean less morning daylight to melt ice on roads prior to the morning commute and would also mean schoolchildren would have to wait outside at bus stops in the dark. And more sunlight later into the evening would alter our circadian rhythm, prompting us to go to bed and wake up later. The researchers also note that later sleep timing is associated with a number of health risks, including depression, obesity and heart disease.
On the other hand, in 2024, then-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced he would like to put an end to Daylight Saving Time. As of March 2025, however, no official announcement on the fate of the practice has been made.