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Facing farm stress

By MWI Animal Health

Prioritizing both physical and mental wellness is necessary for a farm or ranch and its future
man and his young son walking in corn field
Photo by: RealAgStock

Farmers and ranchers live where they work and work where they live. Cattle don’t honor vacation days and the demands presented by different seasons can be all encompassing.

Along with daily stressors — caring for animals, keeping the farm or ranch profitable, and sometimes navigating challenging personal relationships — many pressures agriculturalists face are outside their control. Fluctuating markets, rising interest rates and input costs, difficult weather, and farm succession or transitions can all take a toll. These stressors have real effects on farmers’ and ranchers’ health and well-being — both physical and mental — which makes prioritizing wellness necessary for the farm or ranch’s future.

Lesley Kelly, the co-founder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation, a not-for-profit organization championing mental health in agriculture across Canada, has experienced firsthand how these pressures can affect farm families.

“From personal experience, I saw everyone in my family go through a mental health struggle or live with a mental illness. My husband deals with anxiety and panic attacks, mainly attributed to farm stress. My brother lives with PTSD. My dad, when he had cancer, battled depression and anxiety. My little sister has borderline personality disorder, and I had postpartum depression after our second boy was born,” she says. “So, I saw how our mental health challenges impacted our day-to-day activities and relationships.”

This mother of two did not know much about mental health and certainly did not talk about it before it affected her farm family in Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada. Since then, Kelly has delved into learning more about mental health and ways to support health and well-being on their farm.

“Making our mental health a priority and a priority for the farm has brought our family and farm closer together. It’s helped our culture on the farm,” Kelly says. “It’s helped with open conversations and dialogue where we can all feel we can talk about it. So overall, it helps not only on the farm, but it’s also helped each other.”

While many think of mental illness or have negative associations with the term mental health, Kelly points out that mental health is defined by the World Health Organization as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”1

Simply put, mental health is just a spectrum of well-being. And, when you’re a farmer or rancher, your well-being is paramount to your operation’s success.

“Farmers and ranchers are the most valuable asset on their operation,” says Monica McConkey, a rural mental health specialist providing mental health counseling to farmers and their families in Minnesota through Eyes on the Horizon Consulting.

“If they aren’t well, if they are extremely stressed, or struggling with anxiety and depression ... it will come through in their physical health, their relationships, and how their operation runs.”

Poor mental health leading to physical consequences may sound far-fetched, but your well-being — both physical and mental — is intertwined. Meg Moynihan, dairy farmer and senior advisor with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, points out that too much stress can lead to physical symptoms like chest pains, tension headaches, and poor sleeping habits. Added stress or struggling mental health can also lead to poor decision-making, which can be deadly on a farm or ranch.

This makes prioritizing mental health and well-being paramount to a farm or ranch’s success.

Bolstering self-care


While self-care may bring visuals of meditation and yoga (which can be great self-care tools), it is not one-size-fits-all. For some, self-care may be as simple as prioritizing time to read a chapter of a book each night or taking a drive down their favorite country road when they feel overwhelmed. Self-care simply means taking care of yourself and ensuring your basic needs are met. As Moynihan says, farmers and ranchers should care for themselves at least as well as they care for their livestock.

“Treat yourself as least as well as you do your animals. They need fresh air. They need light. They need exercise. They need good nutrition and social relationships,” she says.

McConkey agrees. She notes that physical health is foundational to well-being. She encourages producers to drink lots of water, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, see a doctor regularly, and take all medications as prescribed. And regarding mental health, McConkey encourages farmers and ranchers to be mindful of their thoughts.

“It is important to work on our thinking because that is directly related to our emotions and how we feel,” McConkey says. “Are we thinking about things that are helpful? Are we focusing on the present? Or are we stuck in thoughts that are negative, self-deprecating, blaming, and stuck in the past?”

When you are tense or feeling stressed, she suggests taking slow deep breaths and focusing on your five senses to relax.

In Kelly’s experience, everyone finds a different way to be mindful of their mental health and cope with life’s stressors. While she enjoys a warm bath or yoga when her mind is racing, her husband uses exercise to cope with his anxiety. Hopping out of the combine to jog around it quells his anxious thoughts. Kelly encourages producers to find what works for them and build a culture that promotes self-care.

Farm-life balance


While there may be times when farm-life balance may seem mythical, such as calving, haying, or harvest, it is essential to be mindful of your personal needs.

Kelly’s family encourages this in their operation by simply having everyone rate their stress on a scale of one to 10 during their morning meetings. By checking in with each other daily, her family can better care for one another and the farm by supporting family members who feel burdened. They also believe in the power of breaks.

“We work where we live. We live where we work … At different moments of the year, we might not have as much balance. Know those busy periods and know it is OK to get the help and support you need. It is OK to get a break. It can be five minutes or five days,” Kelly says.

McConkey notes that producers she works with that do not have interests or hobbies outside of the farm often struggle with relationships, overall life satisfaction, and farm transitions. Likewise, Moynihan encourages farmers and ranchers to simply pick one thing and prioritize it, whether it is a hobby, reading, or even serving on a local club or committee.

“Just pick one little thing and start doing it,” she says. “It is also modeling behavior for other people in your family.”

And by modeling a healthy farm-life balance and prioritizing self-care, farmers and ranchers help the next generation prepare for the rigors and stressors of farm and ranch life.

Creating a culture for the future


“Open communication is important,” says McConkey of raising children on the farm. “Modeling things like how to relax, how to problem solve, and how to deal with emotions in a healthy way are all important for the next generation. It is also important to talk openly about mental and emotional struggles just like we would physical illness. This opens the door for our kids to know it is OK to open up when they are struggling.”

Kelly encourages open conversation with her two children and tries to equip her boys with the language they need to discuss their mental health and feelings.

“For us, we want our kids, if they chose to farm … to know that there will be hard times, there will be struggles,” she says. “There are tools available to them. One of them is just the language around mental health. How do you start a conversation? Asking if they’re OK, encouraging them to listen. We want them to identify how they are feeling.”

Moynihan agrees that fostering open communication is key to raising children who are aware of and comfortable expressing their feelings.

Signs and signals


While self-care prioritizes keeping yourself healthy and happy, taking stock of those around you is also crucial. Look for signs that your friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers may be struggling.

According to NYFarmNet.org, signs someone may be struggling include:

  • Changes in routine or social activities
  • Decline in care of domestic animals
  • Increase in illness or chronic conditions
  • Increase in farm accidents
  • Decline in the appearance of the farmstead
  • Decreased interest in activities or events

Moynihan adds changes in physical appearance to the list, such as when a usually sharp and stylish dresser suddenly looks unkept. Generally speaking, she suggests looking for any difference in long-time routine.

As an example, “Joe is always in the second pew at church, and all of a sudden, Joe’s not in church for three or four weeks. Well, is Joe out of town? Does Joe have family visiting? Should somebody maybe go and check on Joe because this is not normal for Joe to be not here,” Moynihan says.

Checking in


Checking in with friends and family may seem awkward, but as Kelly points out, those conversations can be lifechanging and lifesaving. Her husband checked in with her when he noticed her becoming more withdrawn after having their second child. Until her husband opened the conversation, Kelly was not aware that her postpartum depression was impacting her daily life.

“I knew I felt a little off, but I didn’t think it was a big deal,” she says. “It wasn’t until my husband said, ‘You know I see these changes. You’re not talking to your friends and that’s outside of your normal. Is everything OK?’ When he saw those changes, I went, ‘Oh, something must be off if someone else can recognize it.’”

How Kelly’s husband checked in is textbook, according to Moynihan.

“Put some evidence behind it,” she says. “Like, you’re always such a snappy dresser, and you just haven’t been lately.”

When you do visit with someone about their well-being, Moynihan suggests listening. Don’t judge. Don’t try to fix their problems or offer advice. Simply listen. And always keep your conversation in confidence. Moynihan also says to follow up. A quick text or phone call a few days later is powerful.

Lastly, it is important to ask if they are thinking of suicide, according to McConkey. Asking the tough question can ensure they get the help they need.

You are not alone


All three women agree, though, the biggest takeaway from any mental health conversation is simply that you’re not alone. You’re not alone in having struggles or difficulties. You’re not the first farmer or rancher to face those circumstances. And most importantly, there is help and support available, so you never have to face challenging times alone.

State Extension offices offer many farm stress resources, your doctor can find you proper care, and even local clergy members can often help.

“Agriculture is an amazing life and career, but it can also be hard and come with lots of challenges,” Kelly says. “We aren’t meant to do this alone. There are resources and people that can help you through hard times.”

 
Reference
1Mental health: strengthening our response. World Health Organization 17 June 2022. Accessed 12 Jan 2023. Available at: www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-healthstrengthening-our-response

Immediate help

Remember, there is always support available. These hotlines can offer help to those who are struggling:

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline): call, text, or chat 988 any time or day
  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
  • Avera Health Farm and Rural Stress Hotline: Call 800.691.4336
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Call 800.662.HELP (4357)
  • Farm Aid’s Farmer Hotline: Call 800.327.6243