“Ag as a profession can be lonely,” says cattle producer Erica Siler. “You’re not doing group activities very often, so it can feel lonely. But thanks to digital power you don’t have to be alone. You can be a good neighbor digitally.”
Erica and her husband, Joe, own Yankee Beef and Yankee Maple located in Western New York. The Silers manage a diverse agricultural business, including 120 cow-calf pairs, a small finishing feedlot, 8,300 tap maple woods and 1,000-acre of row crops.
In May 2022, Joe was struggling with anger and emotional challenges, particularly during a difficult farm transition and after experiencing personal losses.
“Mental health doesn’t mean you want to commit suicide,” Joe explains. “It means you’re mad every day. Or it means you’re sad every day. There are a million feelings that are associated. I was the mad guy. I was angry and mad at the world for how things all went down.”
Erica says, as the spouse of someone struggling with mental health, you want to be supportive and you want to try to fix the problem for them. But she encourages others saying, “it is OK that you can’t fix the problem” and don’t be afraid to seek help for your spouse.
“When your tractor or your truck breaks, and it’s not something that you know how to fix, what do you do? You hire a professional,” she explains. “So, it’s the same concept seeking help to deal with mental health issues.”
Asking around and doing some research online, the couple found a therapist, Catherine Cleveland, who specializes in agricultural mental health.
Joe says his initial approach to therapy was secretive, parking his truck blocks away from the therapist’s office, but he gradually became more comfortable and open about his experience.
“I don’t look at it as suicide prevention,” Joe says about seeking help from a therapist. “I look at it as I want to be a better farmer, better businessman, better person.”
He says the therapist “gave me a play-by-play of how I should step back and live in the moment.”
Building a community
The couple emphasizes that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Joe says that it only takes one person speaking openly to help others feel comfortable about seeking support.
A pivotal moment in Joe’s mental health journey came when he shared his therapy experience on TikTok. The post went viral and sparked important conversations about mental health in agriculture, and the couple discovered that many farmers were experiencing similar challenges but felt isolated and ashamed to seek help.
Social media has become a crucial tool for connection in the agriculture industry, allowing farmers and ranchers to support each other digitally when physical proximity makes traditional support difficult.
Joe says he now participates in online farmer groups, creating a virtual support network that mimics the community interactions of previous generations. The millennial generation’s coffee shop.
The viral TikTok led the couple to start a podcast in October 2023 to continue discussing their journey. Titled “Full Disclosure Farming: BrutallyHonest AgChats” the couple says the podcast initially started as their “weekly therapy” — a way for them to process their own experiences.
Erica says the podcast became a way to normalize conversations about mental health in agriculture, provide support and connection for other farmers feeling isolated, and share their experience with farm transitions.
Seeking Help is OK
Joe says he has received numerous messages saying, “I was in a really dark place, and I didn’t think it was okay to go see a counselor.”
Mental health is a critical issue in agriculture. The Silers are passionate about destigmatizing mental health conversations. They say their generation of farmers is uniquely positioned to create change, being open-minded and technologically connected.
They recommend these simple steps for those struggling: 1) reach out via social media to a peer, 2) send a message to someone in a similar situation, and 3) find a therapist who understands agricultural challenges.
You can connect with Erica and Joe at:
https://www.tiktok.com/@brutallyhonestag
https://www.tiktok.com/@mrs.yankeefarmer
https://www.facebook.com/yankeebeef
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