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Joby Morris, left, and Jess McCabe -- whose families have been in farming and ranching for threeplus generations -- talk after a full day of working cattle on horseback. Social connections and having another person who understands the isolation, pressures to produce and financial stressors faced in agriculture is invaluable. Joycesarah McCabe | Dispatch Record
Ranchers and farmers need to know they are not alone. To those ranchers, farmers and working cowboys who have struggled with feelings of hopelessness, sadness, depression or anxiety, you are not the only one who is hurting. Data by the Centers for Disease Control shows that those whose livelihoods are entirely dependent upon farming and ranching are the most likely to die by suicide, compared to any other occupation. And in a 20-year study, researchers found that suicide rates overall have increased by 40%.
People in agriculture are considered salt-of-the-earth, strong human beings who don’t need help from anyone. They are known to be independent, multi-skilled, and the type who can fix and handle anything that comes their way.
That is a myth. Ranchers, working cowboys and farmers – while they are resilient, highly skilled and hard-working people – have just as many emotional ups and downs as those in any other occupation.
“The stakes are just too high for anyone to believe the lie that ag people can just suck it up and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps,” said one Lampasas County farmer who asked to remain anonymous.
“That way of thinking nearly killed me about seven years ago,” he said. “I felt like there was just nobody to talk to, and there sure wasn’t anyone that understood where I was coming from or my life because of the industry I’m in. I thought sharing what was going on was just pushing my problems off on someone else, like it was a copout, and I was weak.”
This farmer sought help and said he believes he would not be here had it not been for a close friend who realized something was wrong.
“He could tell I wasn’t myself, and he got me to a doctor he knew,” he said. “Saved my life. I should probably talk more about it, but there’s still a stigma, and I just don’t want that.”
The stigma associated with a mental health crisis remains, although it is somewhat improved.
Tara Haskins, DNP, MSN, RN, said that according to a 2021 Farm Bureau survey, the stigma surrounding mental health is better, however there is still work to do.
Haskins said if someone had a broken leg, getting the leg fixed, getting help while the injury healed and taking care of the leg would be top priorities. Nobody would be seen as weak for seeking treatment.
“The perception in urban America is that people in rural America do not value mental health,” she said. “The [American Farm Bureau Federation] survey shows that they do value that for themselves and their families. They just might not know how to talk about it.
“At the time of the original survey, people in rural America said that stigma was a huge issue and that they did not feel comfortable reaching out for help,” Haskins said. “The follow-up survey in 2021, because of the work that so many organizations, groups and centers have done in agricultural communities, the results said rural Americans now felt more comfortable asking for help.”
Haskins said a person’s mental health is as crucial as his or her physical health.
She pointed out that “as a rancher, you are your number-one asset.”
A cowboy will not ride a horse that is lame or in pain. He will go to whatever lengths necessary to restore the animal to good health. And a farmer will not keep using equipment that is about to break. He will fix it before it becomes unusable and results in even higher repair bills.
“It’s the same way with stress in someone that is sad or feeling hopeless or helpless,” Haskins said. “Your mental well-being is your biggest asset to your production, and that’s an important thing to realize.”
Watch for Warning Signs
Jeff Winton, founder and chairman of Rural Minds, said there are warning signs to look for in potential mental health crises.
“If a rancher or farmer decides to sell their cattle or equipment very abruptly, that is absolutely a warning sign,” he said. “If a farm or ranch that has always been meticulously kept suddenly looks like it is in disrepair, that is a warning sign.
“Someone that is usually socially connected and talkative, and they become more isolated and quieter, that is a warning sign,” Winton said.
Confidential and immediate help is available for those who are struggling. The Agri-Stress Helpline is answered by crisis support specialists with extensive evidencebased training in mental well-being who understand the unique needs of people in agriculture. The counselors are trained to understand the stressors common to those in the ag industry.
That means when someone calls or texts, they do not have to “start from ground zero explaining agricultural stressors,” Haskins said.
Anyone in an agricultural community can reach out for help through the AgriStress Helpline at 833-897-2474. Phone calls and text messages are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Haskins gave the following suggestions to help protect mental well-being.
• Listen to your body and recognize that sometimes mental stress can manifest through physical ways, as in feeling tired all the time.
• Stay connected to your community. Sometimes agriculture can be lonely work, especially when one spends long hours alone. Social connection is really important.
• Be willing to set some boundaries for yourself and your work. Sometimes we must tell ourselves it’s OK to stop working at a certain hour.
• Be careful about what coping mechanisms you use. Relying on things like alcohol to decompress can create other challenges and safety issues. Unhealthy coping mechanisms will compound the stress.
• Staying connected spiritually is vital. Your church can be a source of support, and if a person does not feel comfortable talking with a professional counselor or doctor, speaking with their pastor is also an excellent choice.
For those struggling to cope, know you are not alone. Those whose livelihood comes from ranching and farming comprise less than 2% of the population, yet their numbers for suicide are some of the highest.
“If you look at agricultural managers as a subset group, the rate of suicide is almost twice that of just general agriculture,” Haskins said. “The reason for that is because those are the decisionmakers. Those are the individuals making strategy and financial decisions, how to expand and how to deal with a downturn in the economy. It is their responsibility to make those decisions and to do that, and that’s why we believe those suicide rates tend to be higher in that subset group in agriculture.
“That ranch foreman has the weight of responsibility in his lap,” she added.
Our country desperately needs its agricultural workers. Their mental well-being is vital to all.