Farm Stress: How to Seek and Offer Help

In the agriculture industry, stress is considered part of the job. What you may not know, however, is just how damaging anxiety and stress can be. Let’s talk about stress in the farming community and what we can do to help reduce the mental load. 

Why Farming Is So Stressful 

According to the American Farm Bureau Association, the suicide rate of farmers is two to five times higher than the national average. This may be due to the unpredictable nature of farming itself. Farmers work hard to ensure the quality of their products, but there is so much out of the farmers’ control.

Here are some examples:

• Weather shifts: Droughts, flooding, high winds and extreme temperature snaps can wipe out a farmer’s inventory for the season. Financial troubles like these can leave families with grim options — they often have to take out loans to cover the loss or risk losing the farm altogether. 
• The health of crops and livestock: Farmers have to be meticulous about preventing disease. Strict cleanliness and nutrition protocols must be enforced, and farmers must remain diligent to signs of disease. However, sometimes they can do everything right and still have a bad harvest. This can be devastating to the farm’s bottom line.
• Market fluctuation: Health and diet trends can often make or break the farming industry. This can make profits difficult to predict, adding to stress levels. 
• Supply costs: Operating a farm is expensive, and the cost to do so can change in a blink of an eye. Factors like feed, seed and machinery repair can fluctuate like the rest of the market. 
• Keeping the family business afloat: Taking ownership of a generational farm is an honor, but the pressure to keep it thriving can add to your mental load. 

 Why Farmers Struggle to Reduce Their Stress 

Some factors can prevent farmers from getting the help they need. Here are a few: 

• Lack of time: Most farmers work at least 10-12 hours daily during their busy season. They may feel they don’t have time to seek treatment. 
• Expense: If a farmer’s spouse works at a traditional job off the farm, they may have access to affordable insurance. If not, the farmer will most likely have to purchase their own, which can get expensive. 
• Stigma: According to National Public Radio, up to two-thirds of Americans with a diagnosed mental health condition were unable to access treatment in 2021, even though they had health insurance. 

Important preventive measures like therapy sessions are often considered an indulgence, and many individuals refuse to seek help for their mental health because they’re embarrassed or feel ashamed. 

Unfortunately, untreated stress can be just as taxing on your body as any other injury. According to Michigan State University Extension, some severe consequences are: 

• High blood pressure
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Sleeping problems
• Lack of concentration

These symptoms can be dangerous, especially while doing manual labor. All it takes is a second of lost focus to cause injury to yourself, workers or farm equipment. 

How To Identify Harmful Levels of Stress 

With life comes stress — there’s no avoiding it. So how do we know when it may be a problem? Some symptoms of out-of-control stress levels are: 

• Anger: Stress comes when you feel like things are out of your control, which can cause anger. If you or someone close to you seems to be having outbursts, they may be under too much stress. 
• Forgetfulness: Most of us can be forgetful on occasion. But if you notice yourself or others missing important activities or meetings due to distractions or simply not remembering, this could be a sign there’s just too much on your/their plate. 
• The use of crutches to self-soothe: Someone who is poorly managing stress may start using substances like drugs or alcohol to make themselves feel better. They may also turn to other potentially damaging activities, like gambling. 
• Isolation: You or your loved one may no longer want social interaction. They may feel drained and may abandon old interests. 

Steps You Can Take to Manage Stress 

First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge the dangers of stress. Think of your stress level as a work-related injury — if you ignore it, it can slowly infect your body, festering until serious medical conditions occur. It’s best to treat it quickly and often so it doesn’t affect your health and livelihood. 

How to begin: 

Find someone to talk to: This can be a counselor, therapist or psychiatrist. Many medical professionals offer sessions via video chat, telephone or even text messaging if your schedule is packed.

If you’re not ready to sign up with a professional, farmer support groups may be the answer. You can find these in person or online. You can also reach out to a trusted family member or friend who will listen to you without judgment. 

Find joy in being social again: Try participating in activities that get you away from the farm for a few hours and bring you joy. If this is too much of a struggle, this is a strong indicator that it may be time to reach out for help. 

Write it down: According to a Penn State Extension Webinar on managing farmer stress, it may be helpful to create an action plan. Luckily, you can do it from your smartphone. Apps like Day One can make it easy to jot down feelings or ideas throughout the day. 

You can start by writing down everything in your life that causes stress, then go through that list and brainstorm ways to lessen the mental load. 

Brainstorming often works better with multiple people, so consider turning this into a family activity you can do weekly, monthly or even daily. Find a method that works for you. Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. 

Take time out for self-care: The saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup” has been around forever for a reason. Self-care is unique to each individual, but some ideas are:

Meditating: Apps like Insight Timer offer sessions that can take as little as three minutes. 

Quality time with your family: This can be a meal, movie night or game night. 

Downtime: You may feel like taking an hour to yourself will make or break your business, but a mental breakdown will take much longer. Try setting a timer on your phone and doing, well, whatever you want — read, play a game and/or take a nap. Sometimes that’s all we need to recharge. 

How to Help Others 

According to The Providence Center, empathy is the best way to reach out to a loved one. It’s human nature to try to “fix” problems or express sympathy, but that can be off-putting. 

We may also instinctively try to cheer them up by saying things like “it’s not that bad” or bringing up our problems so they feel less alone. This can inadvertently invalidate their feelings, making them close up. 

Instead, focus on: 

• Active listening: It’s important to let them get it out. 
• Following up: Ask them questions, but try not to give your opinions — this may not be helpful. 
• Create a safe space for emotion: When you ask someone about their mental health, they may react in many different ways. They may cry or get angry and lash out. It’s important to keep your emotions out of the situation and stay calm. 
• Offering help (within reason): When a friend or loved one is upset, we may want to promise to be with them every step of the way. It’s important to remember you have your own life and your own stress levels. Be realistic about how much time you can dedicate to solving the problem. 
• Be aware of the signs of suicide: If your loved one often jokes about ending it, talks about not being around anymore or starts giving away their favorite possessions, this may mean they’re thinking about ending their life. 

Getting Help

If you suspect someone you love is considering suicide, ask them outright. If they are, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. You can dial or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. You can also dial 911 so they can get the help they need, some states even have mental health professionals they send out instead of other emergency service professionals.

If they deny thoughts of suicide but you still suspect they may be contemplating it, try not to leave them alone.

Other resources for farmers and their families include: 

• The AgriStress Hotline is designed to provide crisis support specifically for farmers. You can call or text 833-897-2474. This is not available in all states. 
• Texting the word HOME to 741741 to access the Crisis Text Line
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hotline at 1-800-662-4357
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE(7233) or text START to 88788