Managing Farm Stress

For example, Edwards et al. found that the more severe the drought, the higher the adverse effects on farmer mental health. Table 3 indicates that Australia stands out in terms of the pressure of climate variability on farmer mental health in our review. The agricultural sector is hit the hardest by drought, with farmers experiencing declined production, crop loss, and livestock failure . The observed patterns of climate change have worsened farmers’ worries about the future climate and contributed to their chronic forms of mental distress .

Here for farming families

The importance of proactive stress management in agriculture cannot be overstated. Building resilience at the community level through awareness, education, and support programs is essential for long-term success. Developing a strong support network, both personal and professional, is crucial for managing stress. Acknowledging the prevalence and impact of farm stress is the first step towards addressing it. These services can provide valuable assistance in managing farm finances, negotiating with creditors, and developing sustainable financial plans. These services provide confidential support and can be a crucial lifeline in times of crisis.

Reaching Farmers through Ag-Related Programs and Organizations

Recognizing these immense challenges, National Farmers Union is providing resources that may help farmers, their family members, friends, and neighbors address the farm stress crisis in their own communities. Additionally, the close-knit nature of rural communities can lead to fears of judgment or gossip, further preventing farmers from addressing mental health concerns openly (Fraser et al., 2019). Mental health is crucial in the agriculture community due to the unique challenges farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers face. Stress management practices adopted by successful farmers and their families are also supported by research in human health, psychology, and public health. Reduced farm sales, farm loss and consolidation of farms is creating stress on farmers and their agricultural communities all across Michigan.

For example, isolation, variability in weather, lack of access to health services, and low commodity prices have a direct impact on mental health. The AgriStress Response® network seeks to eliminate the stigma around accessing support for mental health. Thus, future social, environmental, financial, and health policy needs to consider how best to address various mental health risk factors in the most effective way, as well as understanding how future adverse impacts from climate change can be addressed. The issue of identifying causality of risk factors with mental health also needs careful consideration.

The training module will seek to provide insight on misuse risk factors among farmers to better inform healthcare providers on warning signs in this specific cohort. Despite these challenges and their potential impact on farmers’ emotional and mental health, many USDA Farm Stress and Mental Health Resources farmers don’t seek help for their needs. Join us as we discuss mental health and explore what farmers can do to improve their emotional and mental well-being.

• As an industry, agriculture is becoming increasingly complex.
• Recognizing the high levels of stress affecting America’s farmers and ranchers, MSU Extension partnered with others from the U.S.
• Researchers have identified a number of occupational health risks through studies of farming communities, and some have specified farming as an especially stressful occupation 1,2,3,4.
• The Farm Safety Foundation said its research has found that mental wellbeing measured in 765 farmers across the UK lags that of the general population.