Mental Health

The Only Other Humans You See All Day: Why Producer-Veterinarian Relationships Matter

Fri, 15 May 2026 12:44:32 GMT

A production animal veterinarian finishes a farm call, climbs back into the truck and starts driving to the next stop. Depending on the day, the producer they just spoke with may have been the first real conversation they’ve had in hours — or the interaction that shapes the tone of the rest of the day.

That isolation is one of the unique realities of production animal medicine. Unlike many clinic settings, there often is no team gathered in a treatment area and no coworkers nearby between appointments. Much of the work happens alone, moving from farm to farm. As Andi Davison, positive change agent at Flourish Veterinary Consulting , put it, production medicine is often “just them, and the only other human that they talk to all day long is the producer.”

During Mental Health Awareness Month, conversations around veterinary well-being often focus on burnout, long hours, compassion fatigue or staffing shortages. Those issues are important, but another factor may deserve more attention: The quality of the everyday interactions veterinarians have with the people around them.

In production medicine, that frequently means producers.

More Than People Skills

Most veterinarians are not trying to become polished communicators or extroverts. They simply want smoother conversations, less tension, better collaboration and the feeling that everyone is working toward the same goal. Those interactions can carry more emotional weight than many people realize.

A productive relationship with a producer can make difficult herd health conversations easier, improve follow-through on recommendations and create a stronger sense of teamwork. A strained relationship can do the opposite — increasing frustration, emotional exhaustion and the feeling that recommendations are going nowhere.

As Davison explains: “We can make all the recommendations all day long, but if we don’t feel like we’re working together as a team, it doesn’t matter.”

Most veterinarians recognize the difference immediately. There are days when you leave a farm feeling productive and respected, and days when you replay the conversation all the way to the next call.

That emotional carryover can leave an impact.

Why Positive Interactions Matter

Research in psychology and workplace well-being has shown even brief positive interactions with other people can influence how individuals experience their work. These high-quality connections are associated with greater trust, collaboration, engagement and a stronger sense of purpose.

Importantly, those interactions do not have to be dramatic or deeply personal to matter. Even short, repeated moments of positive communication can influence workplace relationships and resilience over time. For veterinarians, that sense of connection is often tied directly to the reason they entered the profession in the first place.

At the core of those conversations is a shared goal: We all want to do better for the animals.

That shared purpose may be one of the biggest strengths in veterinary medicine and agriculture. Even when producers and veterinarians disagree on management decisions, timing or finances, there is usually still a common goal underneath the conversation — healthier animals and stronger operations.

“When we are able to cultivate productive communication between the humans of veterinary medicine, we are building trust, motivation and self-efficacy, which then supports the animals of our industry to receive the quality care they deserve. In other words, when we know we matter and the work that we are doing matters, we are much more motivated to do that work well,” Davison says.

Keeping that shared goal in mind can help shift conversations from adversarial to collaborative.

Small Changes That Build Trust

Of course, knowing communication matters and feeling naturally comfortable with it are two very different things.

Many veterinary professionals describe themselves as introverted or socially drained, especially after long days and emotionally difficult cases. Building stronger relationships does not always come naturally, and small talk can feel forced or awkward.

But communication is not necessarily about charisma. Often, small intentional shifts can noticeably change the tone of an interaction over time.

Communication Tips for Veterinary Professionals

Not quite sure where to get started on improving your interactions with producers? Try these small things out during your next farm visit.

Use names and eye contact

Small signals of recognition can help interactions feel more personal and collaborative.

Ask broader questions

Instead of: “How was your weekend?”

Try: “What’s something good that happened this weekend?”

Questions like that give people something real to respond to instead of an automatic one-word answer.

Get curious

Ask open-ended questions about challenges, goals or concerns on the farm before jumping straight to solutions.

Share appropriately

Small personal details can make conversations feel more human and less transactional.

Listen for understanding

Focus less on preparing the next response and more on understanding the producer’s perspective.

Reinforce strengths

Point out what is going well, not just what needs to improve.

None of those things require a dramatic personality change. But over time, they can help build trust — and trust is often what turns difficult conversations into productive ones.

The Human Side of Production Animal Medicine

Better communication will not solve every challenge facing veterinary medicine. It will not eliminate stress, staffing shortages, financial pressures or difficult cases. But when you spend much of the day working alone, stronger human connections can make difficult work feel less isolating and more purposeful.

In a profession built around problem-solving and animal care, feeling connected to the people involved in that work may shape well-being more than many veterinarians realize. The other humans you see during your day may matter more than you think.

AgriSafe Network Offers 'Total Farmer Health Tools' To Support Mental Well-Being

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:06:04 GMT

With over 95% of U.S. farms operating as family-owned businesses, the line between workplace stress and home life is often nonexistent. To combat rising rates of depression and anxiety on the farm and across rural America, the AgriSafe Network is expanding its “Total Farmer Health” program to provide specialized crisis support and peer-to-peer resources.

Tara Haskins, program director, says the goal is to provide a safety net that supports the unique cultural landscape of agriculture — where a neighbor’s “check-in” can be just as vital as a professional intervention.

“We really feel strongly that we apply a total farmer health model,” Haskins says. “We realize that physical health is just a part of it. The social, the occupational, and the spiritual — all those aspects of health also play a role in farmer and rancher health.”

A Model Built For The Modern Farm

Founded 25 years ago by rural nurses and public health professionals, the AgriSafe Network is a national 501c3 nonprofit that bridges the gap between healthcare and agriculture. The organization’s Total Farmer Health model deliberately places the family at the core of its mission.

“The family plays a very unique dynamic in agriculture, so we felt like that needed to be at the center,” Haskins told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Tuesday.

The model addresses a constellation of “buckets” that circle the family unit, including occupational hazards, sleep deprivation, and spirituality. By categorizing resources this way, AgriSafe helps farmers identify how specific stressors — like a poor harvest or a physical safety hazard — trickle down into their emotional well-being.

Navigating The Crisis Across Rural America

For those in immediate distress, Haskins emphasizes that different tools serve different needs. The national 988 number is a vital catch-all. In addition, AgriSafe offers The AgriStress Helpline, a suicide and crisis line specifically for agricultural communities in 11 states. It’s available at (833) 897-2474.

“Those are really geared toward helping people in crisis in the moment and are available 24-7 by call and text,” Haskins says. “It helps keep them out of the hospital and can help bridge them to resources.”

However, therapy isn’t the only answer. Haskins points to the American Farm Bureau Federation Togetherall program as a premier example of peer-to-peer support.

“Farmers can talk to farmers about their issues; it’s amazing how important peer-to-peer support is,” she says.

How You Can Help A Neighbor

One of the greatest hurdles in rural mental health is knowing what to say when a friend or colleague admits they are struggling. Haskins advises that the goal is never to “fix” the problem, but to provide that individual with a safe harbor.

“First and foremost, anytime someone discloses their troubles, I think a good first step is to always thank them for trusting you to have that conversation,” Haskins says.

She offers three key strategies for supporters:

1. Listen to understand: “We need to focus our listening to understand, not listening to respond,” Haskins says.
2. Honor the silence: There is no need to fill every gap in a conversation with words. Silence gives the person space to process.
3. Validate the feeling: Simple phrases like, “It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot right now,” communicate empathy.

If you are the one noticing changes in a family member, neighbor or friend — such as withdrawal or uncharacteristic behavior — Haskins suggests using a gentle, observation-based opening: “I’ve noticed you haven’t seemed like yourself lately. I just want to check in.”

For those seeking professional help, AgriSafe maintains the AgriStress Provider Directory. This database features behavioral health professionals who have completed “Farm Response” training, ensuring they understand the specific cultural and economic pressures of the agricultural lifestyle.

“They’re well-positioned to really level up in a conversation with someone that’s in agriculture,” Haskins says.

More resources, training, and the provider directory are available at agrisafe.org. Also, learn more by listening to the conversation between Haskins and Flory on AgriTalk at the link below:

Mental Health in the Pork Industry: Redefining Grit with Maddison Caldwell

Mon, 11 May 2026 13:56:42 GMT

In the stock show world, Maddison Caldwell was the blueprint of a firstborn overachiever: disciplined, organized and a perfectionist. But while she thrived in the black-and-white rules of life, the “gray areas” nearly cost her everything.

In college, she took a mandatory psychology class and realized she related to many of the topics they talked about. Caldwell sought help from her primary care physician, not knowing at the time that specialists existed for what she was feeling.

After months of increasing dosages, she reached a medical ceiling. When her doctor told her it was the maximum dose and ‘sent her on her way,’ she felt she had run out of options. Within five months, she attempted to end her life twice.

Private Pain to Public Hope

When she shared her personal battle in January 2022 , her story stopped being just hers. It became a shared common ground for others fighting silent battles.

“As soon as the article came out, it was like the floodgates opened,” she says. “All of a sudden, complete strangers – even people who weren’t involved with agriculture – of all ages from across the country reached out.”

Although it wasn’t easy to have the most painful moments of her life become table conversation, she doesn’t regret the decision to share it with others.

“This story came out right around the time I was starting my career,” Caldwell says. “I was reporting to an executive at a large company, and one of his coworkers on the executive team asked him, ‘Have you Googled her?’”

(Provided by Maddison Caldwell)

She will never forget when he asked her about it and the conversation that followed.

“He was quite a bit older than I am, and from a generation that didn’t talk about these things,” Caldwell adds. “It was a really uncomfortable and really hard conversation.”

But she believes those conversations are more important than ever.

“Doing things like that bring us one step closer,” Caldwell says. “I hope I never lose the drive to keep being uncomfortable in order to help people.”

Redefining Grit in Agriculture

Agriculture is making progress when it comes to talking about mental health and recognizing the importance of conversation.

“I don’t think we are great at sitting in that uncomfortable state,” she says. “We want to fix it and move on, or minimize it, or work harder and stay busy doing anything that allows us to avoid facing the reality of it.”

She believes it’s time to redefine “grit” in agriculture.

“In my opinion, grit means being honest with ourselves,” Caldwell explains. “I think it means coming to the realization that we need to reach out for help sometimes. It’s about the courage to be vulnerable.”

She also challenges the industry to stop equating grit with silence.

“You cannot pour from an empty cup,” she warns.

In an industry that prizes working until the job is done, Caldwell says the ultimate display of grit is the courage to admit when you’re running on empty.

Warning Signs

With one in five U.S. adults facing mental health conditions and one in five high school students considering suicide, Caldwell isn’t shy about offering advice now.

“One of the things I did was bury myself in work, in being productive, in not taking any time to just stop and ‘smell the roses,’” Caldwell says. “If you notice people withdrawing from activities that they would have once loved, pay attention. If they’re exhausted all the time, if they’re not talking as much, if they use the words ‘I’m fine’ all too often, or if they are pouring so much into other people at their own expense, those could be signs.”

Looking back, she admits it’s hard to recognize herself during those years. Her mindset is much different now. She challenges people to stop shying away from asking hard questions.

“People often think if you say the word suicide, it’s going to put that idea in someone’s mind,” Caldwell says. “Let me be clear that this thought was already in my head when I was struggling. I don’t know what would have happened if someone just blankly asked me if I was thinking about suicide, because that’s not something people talk about.”

Healing Is Not a Straight Line

Today, Caldwell lives by a quote she read early in her recovery process: “When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying quietly.”

“I will shout my story to the rooftops if it means that one person feels less alone in how they’re feeling,” she says.

Healing looks different for everyone, and everyone needs different tools, Caldwell explains. She compares it to going to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee and then realizing you don’t like it.

“Does it mean that you’re going to stop going to Starbucks altogether, or, even worse, stop drinking coffee altogether?” she says. “Absolutely not. Sometimes you just need to go to different places or add in a little sugar here and there based on personal preference. I feel like my healing journey is like that.”

Caldwell says the “gray areas” are still terrifying at times. But she’s learned that true bravery is figuring out how to thrive even when a clear plan isn’t visible. Healing hasn’t removed the stressors in her life, but it has increased her capacity to handle them.

The one thing that has changed in the past six years is her willingness to have uncomfortable conversations and ask hard questions. She is grateful for the family, friends and professionals that support her in doing this.

“Transparency looks different now,” she says. “I can text my mom to just say, ‘It’s not a good day today.’ That’s something I never would have done because I didn’t feel comfortable saying that.”

Stay Beyond the Crisis

Her message to farm families is simple: don’t just show up for the crisis; show up for the recovery.

“Stay to see them thrive,” Caldwell says. “Stay to hear people like my mom say that ‘the light has returned’ in their eyes.”

Maddison’s family members have been a key support to her in the healing journey.

(Provided by Maddison Caldwell)

On the sixth anniversary of being alive after her last suicide attempt, Caldwell lit a candle and blew it out surrounded by her inner circle.

“As I looked around at the simplest of things, I was so grateful,” she says. “I was flooded with all the beautiful moments I have had since that time that I would have missed out on.”

Discover more about Caldwell’s journey – the challenges that would have wrecked her before, the most unexpected people who helped her recover and the joy she finds in her career today – by watching “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or by listening to it anywhere podcasts are found.

No one has to struggle alone. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7. Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Beyond the Blame Game: Navigate the Mental Toll of Modern Ag

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:55:12 GMT

When market pressures mount, it is easy to succumb to the “blame game.” Yet, the most resilient operations are those that anchor themselves in a mission larger than the current balance sheet. For leaders like James Burgum and Lamar Steiger, coping with stress isn’t just about managing the books, it’s about managing the mindset.

The Many Hats of the Modern Producer

James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes the first step in managing stress is acknowledging the sheer weight of the roles farmers play.

“One of the things I did when I stepped into my role is an exercise where I said to our team, ‘Help me understand all the hats on the farm – farmworker, agronomist, grain merchandiser, mechanic, truck driver, snow removal lead, banker, economist,’” Burgum said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “You start to go down the list, and its dozens and dozens of roles that an individual farmer plays.”

By recognizing the complexity of these roles, Burgum argues that producers can move toward servant leadership—prioritizing the team’s needs.

“There are things that are much more important and much bigger than the challenges we’re wrestling with on the job every day,” Burgum says. “It’s hard to juggle all the balls, but at the end of the day, we want everyone on our team to make sure they get home at night and be there for their families.”

Choosing Abundance Over Scarcity

Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, learned about stress through the lens of his father, a man who seemed to face every possible setback: health crises, financial downturns and missed market peaks.

The farm struggled during times of high interest rates in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and his father was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barre, that left him paralyzed for six months.

Still, his dad always had an attitude of abundance, not scarcity, Steiger says.

“With my brothers holding other obligations, I was left to milk the cows,” Steiger says. “We were so far behind, and all my dad would say is, ‘It could be worse.’”

Breaking the Silence

Eventually, his family lost the dairy. After hitting rock bottom and battling depression , Steiger realized that the “tough it out” mentality was a liability, not an asset.

“When the stresses pile up, you’ve got to find help,” Steiger says. “I wasn’t ‘man enough’ to step up and say, ‘Hey, something’s wrong here.’ I should have said, ‘Time out—this is not working.’”

Steiger’s advice for those feeling the weight of the current market is simple: Find your “who.” Whether it is a spouse, a neighbor or a professional, talking through the stress is the only way to separate your self-worth from the volatility of the markets.

“In agriculture, we’re so reliant on outside forces,” Steiger says. “You’ve got to have an attitude that it’s going to work out. As my Dad would say, ‘Well, we never missed a meal.’ That was his bottom line for ‘It’s okay.’”

From Constraints to Catalysts: How Ag Leaders Turn Hardships into Strategy

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:19:03 GMT

In an industry defined by “one-year-at-a-time” cycles, the greatest threat to a growing operation isn’t just a market downturn—it’s the inertia that comes with size. Farm Journal CEO Prescott Shibles argues that long-term survival requires a rare blend of faith and agility. To maintain an entrepreneurial mindset, leaders must lean into “conviction” as the core of a strategy that survives the lows.

Here is how four industry leaders are turning today’s constraints into tomorrow’s differentiators.

1. Build when times are hard.

When Brent Smith, president and CEO of NewLeaf Symbiotics, joined the company in 2023, the grain market was entering a significant down cycle. While some saw a risky time to lead a startup, he saw an opportunity.

“I learned in my first startup that the best time to build a business is in hard times,” Smith said said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “Because if you can’t withstand tough times, you’re not going to survive long term.”

For Smith, survival meant doubling down on the company’s core: science. Despite the pressure to cut costs, NewLeaf continues to spend half of its operating expenses on science.

“It would be very easy to peel that back,” he admits. “But we focused on projects that make the most impact the quickest, while keeping an eye on the long-term innovation in our pipeline.”

2. Control what you can control.

Farmers face the ultimate constraint every year: the weather. Scott Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, recalls the planting crisis of 2019 when constant rains kept tractors out of the fields well into May.

“I was concerned for our customers not being able to plant, but also for us not being able to plant our seed for the next year,” Beck says. “There was nothing that we could do to control the weather, but we could control how we interacted with our customers.”

Rather than retreating, the Beck’s team focused on transparency and empathy, using video series to connect with farmers and even forming small groups for prayer and support. Ultimately, they wanted farmers to know they cared and were there to support them however they could.

Despite the financial reality of what could happen if farmers didn’t plant and returned seed, Beck’s decided their course of action would not include employee layoffs. Instead, they prepared to sell land to protect their people.

“Fortunately, the weather broke and everybody was able to get planted,” he says. “Then the second miracle happened. We had the second warmest September on record, and that’s what brought the crop through to enable 2019 to not turn out as bad as it started.”

3. Turn disadvantages into advantages.

In 2014, Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, was tasked with a monumental challenge: helping Walmart reinvent its beef supply chain. At the time, the retail giant was at a disadvantage, forced to accept whatever the major meatpackers provided.

Steiger’s strategy was to turn that lack of control into a new kind of independence.

“I convinced the Walmart team to go around the traditional supply chain,” Steiger says. Today, Walmart sources 28% of its beef from its own “farm-to-table” supply chain.

There’s no question that decision was really good for Walmart. But Steiger says it was also really good for him personally.

“It reminded me that no matter how big you are, there are always challenges,” he says.

4. Create “white space” for the future.

When the day-to-day tasks of an operation become overwhelming, long-term strategy is often the first thing to go. James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes leaders must intentionally carve out “white space” for their teams.

“It’s important to find ways where people can actually spend their time working on the business, not just in the business,” he says.

By protecting time for team members to execute ideas that are three to five years out, Burgum manages the tension between short-term urgency and long-term viability.

“It’s hard to step away from the daily fires you’ll face in your operation, but it’s important,” he adds. “How we manage that tension of short term and long term is creating that white space and making sure that we consciously work on the business.

The Long Game

Ultimately, resilience in agriculture is about knowing when to push and when to pivot.

“You have to know when to put the gas down, and you need to know when to tap the brake,” Smith says. “And regardless of what you are doing, you need to stay focused on what you’re doing.”

Whether it is investing in science during a downturn or choosing customer empathy over the bottom line, these leaders say constraints don’t have to be roadblocks; they can be the very catalysts that drive an operation forward.

Check In on Your Health Before It Checks Out

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:05:32 GMT

Long hours, unpredictable schedules and physically demanding work mean farmers and ranchers often put their own health last. Erin Martinez, a Kansas State University expert in adult development and aging, says it doesn’t have to be that way. A simple annual medical exam can help catch problems before they get out of hand.

“Farmers and ranchers are very good at taking care of their livestock and land, but they sometimes forget to take care of themselves,” Martinez says. “A yearly checkup is an important step in catching potential health concerns early.”

Why Preventive Care Matters
Farming is physically demanding and unpredictable. Long hours and seasonal peaks make it easy to push doctor visits aside. But routine exams allow healthcare providers to monitor important measures like blood pressure, cholesterol and other warning signs to catch potential health issues before they become serious.

“Preventive care lets providers look at the full picture of someone’s health,” Martinez says. “When we see patients regularly, we can identify changes sooner and address them before they become bigger issues.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmers and ranchers face higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and musculoskeletal injuries compared with the general population.

Take Action Before Things Get Busier

Martinez encourages producers to schedule checkups before the busy season begins. Planting, harvest and livestock seasonality can quickly push personal healthcare to the bottom of the to-do list.

“Taking the time for a yearly checkup is just like investing in your farm,” she says. “Catching potential health concerns early keeps you able to manage your operation and reduces the risk of bigger problems later.”

Routine exams also give farmers a chance to address mental health. Farming can be isolating, and stress, anxiety and depression are common in rural communities. A healthcare visit allows producers to check in on both physical and mental well-being.

Practical Tips

Taking care of yourself should be just as important as taking care of the farm. Planning ahead and making routine health care a habit helps prevent small issues from turning into bigger problems. Martinez offers a few practical ways for producers to stay on top of their health:

Schedule appointments during slower times of the year.
Ask about screenings, vaccinations, and preventive care.
Keep a record of blood pressure, cholesterol, and other key health metrics.
Involve family members to make regular checkups part of farm life.

“Farmers are usually the last ones to put themselves on the calendar,” Martinez says. “But staying on top of your health before things get busy can prevent problems that are harder to manage later.”

Love on the Farm Means Managing Stress Together

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:10:29 GMT

On today’s farms and ranches, the toughest conversations don’t always happen in the farm office. They happen with your spouse at the kitchen table or in the last few minutes before turning in for the night. That stress of farm life is constant, and it can easily spill over into your relationship.

To help couples navigate these everyday pressures, Sean Brotherson, family science specialist with North Dakota State University, and Kale Monk, associate professor of human development and family science at the University of Missouri share practical strategies couples can use to manage that stress together so they can stay connected, handle the pressures of the season and keep both their farm and their partnership running smoothly.

Where Does Stress Show Up?

Stress can show up in all sorts of everyday situations on the farm, often in ways that feel routine but can add pressure to a relationship. Here are some common areas where couples on farms and ranches may feel that tension:

Planting, harvest and busy seasons often mean long days, leaving little time for meals together, errands or family activities.
Taking an off-farm job can shift responsibilities at home, creating different role expectations than maybe what was expected.
Weekend work or caring for children can make it hard to find time for meaningful moments to connect together like date nights or family meals.

As many know, these kinds of situations are a normal part of life on a farm. But catching stress early gives couples a chance to talk it out and deal with issues before they turn into bigger problems.

Tips for Staying Connected When Farm Life Gets Busy

When life on the farm gets hectic, it’s easy for stress to take over and for couples to drift apart without even realizing it. However, small everyday habits can help keep you connected even when life feels nonstop. Brotherson and Monk list 12 tips couples can use to stay connected and support each other while managing the demands of farm and family life.

Plan Together

“Set measurable goals together for a year from now, five years from now and your lifetime together,” Brotherson says. “Make decisions about time together in farming/ranching, other jobs or retirement. Then, focus on enjoying what you have decided to do.”

Planning together is a good first step, but keeping your connection strong takes daily check-ins and small ways of looking out for each other.
Check In Daily

“Look for and give attention to early indications of stress, such as a furrowed brow or a tense voice,” Brotherson says. “Respond with love and attention as needed.”
Express Appreciation

“Take time daily to state one item you appreciate about your partner,” Brotherson says.

Showing gratitude isn’t just about being polite. Taking the time to notice and acknowledge the little things your partner does can make both of you feel more connected, appreciated and supported.

“When your partner does something you appreciate, it’s vital to express gratitude,” Monk adds. “This makes partners feel valued and helps us see how we can keep pleasing each other.”
Use Clear Communication

“In talking, use ‘I’ statements more than ‘you’ statements,” Brotherson says. “Your partner will likely not change if you argue, ‘You’re always wanting to buy something else!’ Instead, try using an ‘I’ statement, like ‘I get worried and angry when I hear you wanting to buy a new piece of equipment. What I’d like is for the two of us to sit down and decide together which major purchases we can afford.’”
Listen Carefully

“Especially on serious matters, it is important to listen well and help your partner feel they have been heard and understood,” Brotherson notes. “Listen so that you can repeat back to your partner’s satisfaction what she or he says and feels. Focus on listening without being upset or defensive.”
Be Flexible With Roles

“Letting others do things you usually do and adjusting your expectations when necessary can reduce pressures,” Brotherson adds. “Share the responsibility of things such as family chores, cooking or kid care.”
Schedule Time to Talk

“When problems arise, schedule time for the two of you to brainstorm and discuss ideas,” Brotherson says. “Weigh the costs and benefits of each solution. Arrive at a plan that enables both of you to get something you want.”
Set Aside Time as a Couple

“To keep your marriage or partnership growing, take a break from the work, the children or other distractions. If it helps, make it a rule to talk about only yourselves as a couple and not about the farm or ranch operation.”

Taking that time together doesn’t have to be serious. Making it fun can make it even more meaningful.

“The more ridiculous or fun the activity, the better, in my opinion,” Monk adds. “Do something that makes both of you laugh and enjoy each other’s company.”
Use Social Media Sparingly
Social media can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family or share pride and appreciation for your partner. But it can also create stress, spark jealousy or make us compare our lives to the polished versions others post online.

“If we try to ‘keep up’, these artificially positive glimpses into other people’s lives can leave us feeling discouraged and resentful. Becoming consumed by social media and posting excessively can indicate growing insecurity in ourselves or our relationships.”
Laugh Together
On a farm, the days are long and there’s always something demanding your attention. Brotherson suggests taking a few minutes to laugh at a small mistake or a silly moment to lighten the mood and get through the day.

“Remember, always being serious is stressful while laughter reduces stress,” Brotherson says. “Watch a funny movie, share funny stories or find other ways to laugh.”
Celebrate Milestones

“Celebrate your anniversary, birthday, the arrival of a new foal or calf, getting the field planted before the rain and other milestones. Take joy in your lives together,” Brotherson says.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Every relationship is unique, Monk says, and what works for one couple may not work for another. Partners have different needs and respond differently depending on their background, culture or experiences. If you ever feel unsure about handling challenges on your own, consider seeking therapy or counseling.

“Remember that therapy is not only for troubled relationships,” Monk adds. “Therapy can help preserve relationship happiness and prevent problems before significant conflicts arise.”

Build a Strong Partnership Over Time

Stress is a normal part of farm life. However, couples who practice daily communication, show appreciation and remain flexible often find they are better equipped to handle the pressures that come with farming or ranching.

By being intentional about their relationship, farm couples are better able to handle the busy seasons, the hard days and the everyday demands of agriculture while keeping their relationship just as much of a priority as the work.

The Mental Pressure of Being an Off-The-Farm Spouse

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:09:38 GMT

Being an off-the-farm spouse can sometimes feel like you’re living life in the in-between. You’re not fully involved on the operation, but you’re not removed from it, either.

Most of the time, you’re hearing about the good days and the bad ones secondhand, whether it’s a conversation at the dinner table or a late-night recap of the day as you crawl into bed. Through blurry details, you piece together what happened, how the day went and how your spouse is really feeling. You celebrate the wins, worry through the challenges and carry the stress right along with them, even though you weren’t there to see it firsthand.

That in-between space can be hard to explain to anyone outside the farm, but it’s a feeling many off-the-farm spouses can relate to.

Balance the Comfort and the Pressure of Stability

It’s no secret that an off-the-farm job can come with real advantages.

A steady paycheck
Health insurance
A retirement plan

Knowing when that next check will hit the bank account and having reliable health coverage feels like a safety net when life on the farm is anything but predictable. And for a lot of farm and ranch families, this reliability helps make everything else work. But with stability can also come added pressure. A pressure to provide, to stay employed and to keep everything moving forward.

More often than not, the off-the-farm paycheck carries the heavier load of the responsibility, especially when margins are tight. Per USDA data, in 2023, 96% of farm households earned money from off-farm sources, making up 77% of household income. And USDA states most households, regardless of farm size, work off the farm because it pays better than farm work, and access to health care benefits is often part of that decision.

For off-the-farm spouses working to help keep the farm afloat, this heavy load can take a mental toll.

They’re juggling budgets, weighing the “what-ifs,” and sometimes lying awake at night running the numbers in their heads — thinking through what could go wrong and how to keep the farm and family going. It’s a constant, behind-the-scenes effort to make sure everything keeps running smoothly.

Open the Lines of Communication

When that stress starts to build, one of the most helpful tools families have is simply talking about it. According to the University of Wisconsin’s Farm Management Program, farm couples and families who manage stress well tend to communicate openly, working together to plan ahead and tackle problems as a team. Having honest conversations and sharing information can help bring back a sense of control when finances feel uncertain.

That can be easier said than done. When financial pressure builds, many people try to carry it quietly — thinking they are protecting their family by keeping worries to themselves. But holding it all in can actually create more tension at home. Opening up does not mean sharing every detail or worst case scenario. It can be as simple as letting trusted family members or friends know what you are carrying and being honest about changes that may need to happen at home.

Share the Load

While there’s no perfect way to handle the stress that comes with being an off‑the‑farm spouse, you learn how to carry it in a way that works for your family. Sometimes it means adjusting plans, sometimes it means talking things out and sometimes it just means taking a deep breath and reminding yourself you’re doing the best you can.

Finding small ways to share the load can really help, whether that means talking things out, relying on people you trust or giving yourself a moment to breathe when you need it.

Finding Peace: Managing Mental Health During the Holiday Season

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:02:35 GMT

The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy, celebration and togetherness. For many, however, it is also a period marked by increased stress and mental health challenges. The reality is that the rites and rituals of the season sometimes come with pressures that can be difficult to manage.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults’ experiences mental health struggles. This statistic is a stark reminder that these challenges are pervasive, impacting individuals of all backgrounds and life circumstances. What’s more revealing is that three out of four people report a worsening of their mental health during the holiday season.

Common Stressors and Their Impact
There are several factors that contribute to this heightened stress. Financial pressures are a significant concern, as individuals grapple with the expectation of gift-giving, hosting and traveling. Coupled with these financial worries is the potential conflict with family members, which can strain relationships rather than bring people closer.

The loss of loved ones also becomes more pronounced during the holidays, as memories of past celebrations might bring feelings of longing rather than comfort. Moreover, the busy schedules that come with holiday preparations can leave little room for self-care or relaxation, further exacerbating feelings of stress and anxiety.

Strategies for Managing Holiday Stress
Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences offers these options if you notice your mental health worsening during the holidays.

Practice self-care. What activities help you feel refreshed or relaxed? Taking a walk around your property, watching a favorite movie or driving through a Christmas light display in your community are all simple activities that can bring happiness.
Avoid negative coping strategies. It is common for people to enjoy alcoholic beverages, but excessive drinking to change your mood can harm your physical and mental health.
Set healthy boundaries. It is okay to say “no” or “not right now.” If your schedule is too busy, consider limiting the number of invitations you accept. If family gatherings are a little contentious, plan to stay for only an hour or two.
Follow your routine. Enjoy holiday treats and remember your veggies and protein. Settle in for a fun movie night and aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Proper rest and nutrition help your mental health tremendously.
Acknowledge your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or family member and tell them how you feel. Sometimes, just saying words out loud can help remove a burden from our minds. Your loved ones might also be able to provide additional support.

Help is Available:

988 – call or text this number 24/7 to be connected to the Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline. A trained counselor will listen to you, support you and share resources in your area.
741741 – text the Crisis Lifeline 24/7 to connect with a trained counselor.
911 – if you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a medical emergency, call emergency services immediately.

Understanding the factors that contribute to the decline in mental health during the holidays is the first step toward managing them effectively. By recognizing and addressing the triggers, you can regain a sense of peace and joy during what is meant to be a festive time. Remember, taking care of your mental health should always be a priority, holiday season or not.

Your Next Read:
Saying Goodbye to Dad: A Farmer’s Journey with Grief

Will Congressional Inaction Force Farmers to Choose Between Health Insurance and Their Farm Budget?

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:29:25 GMT

Healthcare insurance plans for some U.S. farmers could double in 2026, as enhanced federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are scheduled to expire.

The impending cost surge could affect thousands of U.S. farmers who currently rely on the ACA marketplace for their health insurance, according to the non-partisan KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), a health policy organization.

KFF estimated in 2023 that 27% of “farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture managers” relied on individual ACA market coverage. Nationally, more than 22 million Americans rely on the ACA marketplace for insurance options.

Farmers ‘Don’t Have Many Options’
Iowa farmer Aaron Lehman, who testified before Congress last week, highlighted the severity of the potential cost increase on his family. He said he expects to pay double to purchase an insurance plan for 2026 that would be comparable to what his family had this year.

“That is an incredible cost for our family budget and for our farm budget,” Lehman stated. The fifth-generation farmer and president of the Iowa Farmers Union described how rising healthcare costs are colliding with already harsh economic realities in agriculture.

“Farmers right now are trying to make all sorts of decisions because commodity prices are low, because of the chaotic trade situation that we’re in and higher input prices. All these things have made a real crisis for a lot of our farmers,” said Lehman.

“Finding ways to deal with that, we just don’t have too many options. Farmers will buy less equipment or not make the necessary upgrades and equipment that they need to,” he added. “They’ll look at their input suppliers, and they’ll decide, ‘what can we do to get through just this year … to get a plan to put the crop in the ground?’”

Read the testimony of Aaron Lehman here. A portion of his testimony and discussion is also featured on a posting to YouTube .

Signup Deadlines For Coverage
The challenge for farmers trying to decide on what insurance policy to purchase is compounded by the deadline to enroll in ACA marketplace plans: People needed to choose their ACA plan by Monday for coverage to begin Jan. 1. Open enrollment continues in most states until Jan. 15 for coverage beginning Feb. 1.

Despite broad public support for an extension to the ACA tax credits — a KFF poll said 74% of Americans favor continuing the enhanced credits — a congressional standoff has so far failed to produce a solution:

Failed Votes: Both a Democratic plan to extend the enhanced tax credits for three years and a Republican proposal to replace them with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) failed to pass the Senate last week.
Impending Crisis: Nearly six in 10 enrollees (across all categories) told KFF they could not afford even a $300 annual increase in 2026 without significantly disrupting household finances.
Political Fallout: The issue of healthcare costs and expiring subsidies is highly polarizing, with some Republicans warning that a failure to address the problem could cost them legislative majorities in next year’s mid-term elections.

As the deadline for open enrollment closes and the Dec. 31 subsidy expiration date approaches, farmers must prepare for substantially higher health insurance costs in 2026 unless Congress acts to reach a last-minute agreement.

Young Farmers Need Better Options
During his testimony and ensuing discussion, Lehman stressed that healthcare isn’t just a personal household issue; it’s central to the future of American farming. With the average age of an Iowa farmer at 57, he said the sector desperately needs young and beginning farmers to return to the land. But without affordable, reliable health coverage, inviting the next generation back onto the farm becomes a far riskier proposition.

“You have to be very smart to figure out the plan that can bring the next generation on the farm,” he said, adding that many talented, innovative young people want to farm, but face daunting financial barriers — healthcare high among them. He noted that one of his sons works with him on their family operation, which is based in Polk County, Iowa.

Lehman framed affordable healthcare for farm families as an investment, not a handout: a way to make it possible for young farmers to feed their communities, support local and regional food systems, or continue larger family commodity operations.

“Extending the federal support for lowering the cost of health insurance is a true win for farmers and for all of rural America,” he said.

Saying Goodbye to Dad: A Farmer’s Journey with Grief

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:24:01 GMT

Grief is hard. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a way of life, or even a dream, the pain of losing something we care about is an inevitable part of being human. However, that doesn’t make grief any easier to walk through.

On May 23, 2024, Nathan Isler lost his father, Bill, to a stroke. The man who was greater than life to him, was no longer by his side every day on their family pork and grain operation. The loss that everyone who loved him felt was undeniable.

“I don’t know how people deal with grief without faith. If you think death is just the end, it’s a hard thing to deal with,” Isler says. “For me, the toughest part is the loss of those moments where I wish he was there to talk to about things.”

In Isler’s mind, grief is more of a feeling than a definition. In the simplest of terms, he says it’s disappointment in life not going the way you want it to – not getting the answers you hoped for or not having the person you want to be there.

But grief, as painful as it feels, is also a process that can open the door to growth and resilience.

“It is impossible to live without experiencing pain at some point in our lives,” says Jorge Estrada, Global Coaching Alliance Latin America lead. “Life and pain go hand in hand. They’re part of the great dichotomies: black and white, day and night, life and death, love and pain.”

Pain isn’t an interruption to life, it’s a thread woven through it, Estrada adds. At the same time, grief isn’t a sign of weakness or failure. It’s evidence of our capacity to love deeply and to heal, even after profound loss.

Understanding Grief

“Grief hurts,” agrees Gina Forte, an expert in thanatology which is the study of death, loss and the processes that follow. “When we love someone or something, we become attached to it. The more we love, the more it hurts to lose.”

But that hurt has a purpose. Grief is an adaptive emotional process, a way to make sense of loss and find balance again, she adds. Knowing it’s a process helps people move forward.

“Perseverance is a necessity in life,” Isler says. “Life goes on. You can’t stop. You can’t lose your potential or your life. Putting my head down and getting work done – being productive – has helped me during this time.”

He says there is something healing about setting goals and pushing forward.

“Getting in your own head too much allows the grief to multiply,” Isler adds. “For me, being able to have wins and accomplish goals promotes healing.”

Forte says that’s the function of grief – to restore and heal.

“When we don’t allow ourselves to process it, grief can become unhealthy or even pathological,” she says.

From Shock to Acceptance

When loss hits, no one is ready to understand or accept it fully. The stages of grief all play a key role in the process. Forte outlined the seven stages of grief:

Grief isn’t a straight line, she says. Sometimes people circle back to the same stage again, but the visits grow shorter over time.

One day, one of Isler’s dad’s friends showed him a video of his dad swinging on a rope at a retreat not long before he passed away.

“I don’t know what, but something triggered inside me – to see that youthfulness and joy he always had,” Isler says. “It’s hard to predict what will trigger different parts of the grief process. I have found that the return to different stages gets quicker as you move on.”

On the Other Side of Loss

The resilience that emerges on the other side of loss makes us stronger people, Estrada says. In short, it’s not just surviving hardship, it’s being transformed by it.

Estrada defines resilience as the ability to navigate change, understand grief, learn, let go, and create a new reality—one that carries a better version of ourselves into the next stage of life.

“Everything you do in life changes who you are a little bit,” Isler says. “I’ve learned more about who my dad was to so many. I’ve learned not everyone has a role model like him. I hope I can live up to the example he set for my kids.”

Studies show one of the strongest predictors of resilience is having loving and supportive relationships that offer trust, encouragement and security through the grief process.

For Isler, living next door to his mom, who has been living with dementia for several years, has put him in a unique situation. Sharing stories about his dad with his mom has been especially healing.

“My mom has always been someone I could talk to easily,” Isler says. “I’ve used her as a map to put it all out there because she isn’t grieving the way the rest of us are. She knows dad isn’t around, but it doesn’t all connect for her like it does for us. When I talk about dad with her, it does nothing but bring joy to her.”

Get Off the Island

Everyone deals with grief at some point, Isler says. Maybe it’s grief from the loss of a loved one, but for farmers, grief could stem from a terrible financial situation on the farm or the loss of a business you’ve built your life around.

“For all the people who think they are alone, it’s just not the case,” he says. “We all deal with grief, and we all deal with it differently. A lot of times we put ourselves on an island – especially in our industry.”

Farmers – especially men – are some of the worst about talking about their feelings, Isler says.

“We are tough guys. We get the work done and go on,” he says. “But it helps to talk about it. Let people show up for you or go find someone to talk to if they don’t know what you are going through.”

When Isler’s sister told him that what helped her in the grief process was being around him, he was taken aback a little.

“She said I reminded her of dad and was a lot like him, that being around me made it easier not having dad around anymore,” he says. “To me, that’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”

Don't Break, Build: A Farmer's Playbook for Taking Control of Your Mind

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:02:19 GMT

It was already shaping up to be one of those days.

An unexpected bill is due, and the money just isn’t there. The kids are fighting again. Understandably, your wife is over it, and now it’s your fault. One of your employees just called to say the new group of wean pigs is sick. It’s all a part of a life, but sometimes it just stacks up to be too much.

“In a world of unpredictability with so many factors at play on any given day, it’s easy to be mentally or emotionally hijacked by elements out of our control,” says Athena Diesch-Chham with Restorative Path Counseling and Wellbeing. “Stress and anxiety thrive in this environment. However, the long-term effects of that are real.”

Farming stress will never go away, so how can you get more grit or become more resilient to that stress?

One expert says it starts by paying attention to the present.

“Don’t think about what happened yesterday or worry about what is happening tomorrow,” says Cheri Burcham, with University of Illinois Extension. “Focus on what you are doing and feeling in the very moment.”

Diesch-Chham likes to think of it as “being where your feet are.”

“So often brains are hijacked by stress and launch us mentally to a different space either in the past or in the future,” Diesch-Chham adds. “Mindfulness is just asking for our whole selves to be here in this moment, wherever our feet are planted.”

Pay Attention

This concept of truly being “in the moment” not only reduces stress, but research shows it can also lower blood pressure, increase immunity and reduce anxiety and depression, Burcham says.

When you intentionally notice where you are, you can recognize potential challenges sooner, says Abigail Cudney with Michigan State University Extension . Instead of habitually reacting to stress with intense anger, emotional shutdown, negative thinking or overthinking, this intentional awareness helps rewire the brain through a process called neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to grow and adapt to new experiences.

Consider the attention you pay when walking through the barn. You use all your senses to make assessments and determine what’s going on all around you.

“Whether it’s walking the barn or enjoying the fall scenery, naming something you are currently experiencing for each of the five senses is another way to practice mindfulness,” Diesch-Chham says. “This doesn’t have to be complicated – the whole goal is to bring mind and body to the same place.”

5 Senses Technique

Just Breathe

The fight or flight response animals have when stress strikes is the same thing that happens in people. As a review, the vagus nerve, which runs from the base of the brain and branches out to the organs, serves as a conduit of chemicals/hormones that are activated automatically/reflexively by the sympathetic nervous system. This is an involuntary and adaptive process that increases respiration and blood flow to prepare the body for quick and protective action, such as fighting or fleeing. Once the perceived threat has passed or been managed successfully, the stress response also passes and respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate return to a normal steady state, according to the Yale School of Medicine .

Through deep breathing, the vagus nerve can be stimulated intentionally to help restore, mitigate and even prevent these physical and psychological reactions. Slow, even breaths that originate deep within the abdomen stimulate the vagus nerve in a way that signals safety and cues the body and mind to relax, restore, and release chronic and unhealthy patterns.

“Deep breathing can be practiced anywhere and in so many ways – so it is very accessible and easy for farmers to practice,” Burcham explains. “Practice in the field or even while operating machinery.”

Let Go of What You Can’t Control

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of “being where your feet are” is realizing you can’t control it all.

“Working towards recognizing what truly is within our individual control and then choosing to focus our energy on managing what we can control to improve our overall mental health and stress, helps us remain resilient through the pieces that are outside of our control,” Diesch-Chham says.

Adversity happens. Markets will crash. Animals will get sick. Disease will strike. Families will argue. But you can recover faster from those stresses by staying grounded in the moment, aligning your thoughts and emotions with reality.

Resources to Help Build Resilience:
North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center

Mindfulness: University of Illinois Extension

Building Resilience with Mindfulness

Healthy Minds, Healthy Farms: Putting People First During National Farm Safety and Health Week

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:58:33 GMT

Farm Health and Safety Week is a chance to focus on something agriculture often overlooks: the health of the people who make it all possible. Veterinarians and producers alike pour their energy into the care of livestock, but the demands of the job can take a toll on both body and mind. Protecting your health is not selfish, it’s the foundation for sustaining your animals, your business and your community.

The challenges of farming and veterinary work are not only physical. Stress, financial pressure, unpredictable weather, disease outbreaks and tough animal welfare decisions can all weigh heavily on the minds of both veterinarians and producers. Mental health is inseparable from physical health; stress increases fatigue, reduces immunity and makes injuries more likely.

Andi Davison, licensed veterinary technician and positive change agent with Flourish Veterinary Consulting, recognizes the importance of allowing yourself to focus on your own mental health

“We are very good at focusing on our patients and our clients and our communities and our farms and our agriculture because it matters, and it all depends on the veterinary professionals and producers that are out there in the field doing the things,” Davison says. “It’s really easy to forget how valuable we are as professionals to that equation. I really believe that starting with a mindset that gives us permission to see ourselves as a valuable contributor is critical.”

Veterinarian Isolation

One of the biggest mental challenges facing bovine veterinarians on a daily basis is isolation. Often you’re traveling alone from farm to farm without a co-worker to share the time with. It’s worth considering and checking in with yourself about what makes you feel best. Davison recommends using the drive between farms to employ some strategies for a mental reset. These strategies can differ based on your personality.

For an introvert, this could include inward reflection on your last visit, listening to a podcast, pulling over to meditate or jamming out to your favorite album; for an extrovert, this could include calling someone to chat.

“When you get to the next farm, you set that intention of: ‘Okay, I worked through that, I reflected on my first stop. I took that space in between, and now I’m going to show up at my next stop in a way that I want to,’” Davison suggests. “The great thing about it is that you can do it in between stops, in between calls, in between farms; fit it in where it works best for you as an individual.”

Let’s Talk About It

Breaking the stigma around mental health is essential. Open conversations help normalize seeking help, whether through a professional counselor, a trusted peer, or a community support group. Small steps also make a difference: staying connected socially, setting aside even short periods of time for rest or hobbies and recognizing when stress is becoming overwhelming.

Importantly, both veterinarians and producers are in a position to check in on each other. A simple question like “how are you holding up” can open the door to vital conversations.

“Something that allows food medicine to stand out a little bit from the other facets of veterinary medicine is that quite often, the producer and the veterinarian are on the same page because their goals are very similar,” Davison says. “Whether that relationship involves discussing mental health, I bet you it does in some and it doesn’t in others. But I would encourage that conversation because the goals are similar. They’re out there doing it day in and day out, just like the veterinarian is. I would imagine that is a critical conversation to be had.”

Making mental health a part of everyday farm and clinic conversations can go a long way.

A Culture of Health in Agriculture

It’s important to recognize that there are resources out there, there are communities you can join, and there are connections that can be made. Interaction with others can go a long way to improving your mental health.

Healthy people build healthy farms. By allowing yourself to care for your mental well-being, veterinarians and producers can create a more sustainable future for themselves and their communities. National Farm Safety and Health Week is not only a reminder of the risks of agricultural work, but also an opportunity to commit to better habits, stronger support systems, and a shared responsibility for health.

Your Next Read: Bulls, Gates and Risks: A Veterinarian’s Guide to Farm Safety

From Despair to Hope: Why a Farmer on the Brink of Suicide Chose to Keep Going

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:41:23 GMT

It’s starting to feel similar to the 1980s. Not only are farmers on the brink of financial collapse, but there’s another grim reality setting in: The number of farmers dying by suicide is on the rise, and it could be at a rate U.S. agriculture hasn’t seen since the 1980s.

Even though statistics on suicides among farmers aren’t reliable from the 1980s because many were deemed “accidents” during that time, some estimates point to more than 1,000 farmers dying by suicide during that crisis.

“Unfortunately, it just almost seems like it’s a pandemic situation. I mean, there’s a lot of it, and it’s sad,” says Brent Foreman, a farmer in Shelby County, Mo., who knows the impacts of farmer suicides all too well.

“From an agricultural perspective, there’s a lot of stress in this industry, especially now,” Foreman says. “And somebody that’s contemplating this. I would say, we as farmers, we like to try to fix things, and we’re pretty good at it, but you can’t fix everything. If you get to a point like that, please reach out to someone, a family member, a good friend. Just please try to get some help.”

Touched By Suicide Three Times

Foreman isn’t just a fellow farmer concerned about the number of farmer suicides today. He’s a life-long farmer who’s been impacted by farmers dying by suicide three times, and the first loss happened when he was just 12 years old.

“My grandfather was a wonderful man, the most important male figure in my life,” Foreman says. “It happened 54 years ago, and it leaves a heck of a hole in your heart still today.”

Sixteen years later, his younger brother died by suicide, another sudden and tragic loss where there were no signs something was wrong.

“And then just a little over two years ago, my brother-in-law, who was 68, took his life,” Foreman says. “I’m telling you, it’s a devastating thing for loved ones to have to go through. It is tough. It’s really tough.”

Foreman says with his brother-in-law, there were signs he was struggling. He tried to take his life one time, but didn’t succeed. That’s when the family tried to get him help, which he agreed to, even going in for treatment.

“We thought that things were getting better, but they weren’t,” Foreman says. “At the beginning, I consulted our preacher, and I said: ‘I need some prayer and I need some advice.’ And he said: ‘Well, I do want to tell you something. I want you to be able to be prepared if you fail. Can you handle that?’ And I said: ‘Well, what I can’t handle is if I don’t try. I have to try.’

Experiencing three suicides, all by loved ones he was extremely close to, has been devastating. Foreman says the emotions are still raw today.

“It’s tough to live with, going through that so many times,” he says. “When I was a youngster I always told myself, the hurt, that’s something I would never do to anyone else. I just made like a pact with myself that I would never do that, because I’ve seen and lived firsthand how it affects you. From a family’s perspective, the pain goes on and on; it doesn’t quit. My wife, from her perspective, I can just see it in her eyes almost daily, the devastation.”

‘When We Lose Hope, It’s a Dangerous Place to Be’

When a person loses hope, that’s when the situation turns bleak.

“Sadly, that is the end all for a lot of people,” Jolie Foreman, executive director at Shelby County Cares , says. “Hope is key. If you have hope, you can keep going. When you lose hope, it’s just a very dangerous place to be.”

Lafayette County, Mo., farmer Ethan Daehler has been there.

“It was actually 2019 was kind of my low point,” he says.

Just six years ago, this Missouri farmer hit rock bottom.

“I was pretty much just down in the dumps, ready to just give up on life,” he says. “Thank the Lord something happened that kind of changed my way of thinking.”

In his early 30s, Ethan Daehler knows what it’s like to be on the verge of suicide. In 2019, he hit a low point. But something saved him, and he hopes by sharing his story, he will reach other farmers in a similar state of mind, reminding them that life is worth living.

(Ethan Daehler, Missouri Farmer )

Battling ongoing pain from an accident and stress of work, as well as struggles with the dynamics of a family farm, it all compounded the issue and pushed Daehler to a breaking point.

“I had a full-time job at the time working for another farmer and trying to do my own small operation,” he says. “We had family issues, which happens to a lot of farmers. There is a lot that compounds into thoughts, it’s just not financial problems, and I think that’s what people need to understand.

Daehler is now proof that it’s worth finding a reason to live, and he is only sharing his story to possibly save someone who’s in a similar spot as he was in 2019.

“There’s more to life,” he says. “I’m in a tractor now, baling hay, this is my fourth cutting. This is what I kind of dreamed of. Find something you love doing.”

A Mission to Prevent Farmer Suicides

That pain is something that fueled his daughter-in-law’s work. Jolie Foreman is the executive director at Shelby County Cares , a nonprofit whose goal is to improve the quality of life for children, youth and adults.

“I knew that we were very resource poor,” Jolie says. “So when I heard that this opportunity was available, we jumped on it, and we’ve just grown from the bottom up. We are definitely grassroots. They had faith in us in what our vision was, and they invested in it.

Through a grant,Jolie’s initial focus wasn’t suicide, but as she started doing research, she discovered there was a desperate need to provide help.

“My family had been impacted by suicide, and that’s kind of why I had jumped on board in the beginning,” she says. “But once we sat down at the table and really started to dive into the names and being in a small town, we know all of those lives that have been lost to suicide up here, that the producer was the one that was struggling.”

Fall Typically Heightens the Stress and Struggles

Jolie says they are currently seeing an increase in the number of farmer suicides happening across the country. Some of that is due to the various stresses involved with farming, but she says the fall is typically when the number of suicides in agriculture rises even more.

“In the spring, there’s a lot of hope,” Jolie says. “You’re planting, you’re coming off of the year that may have been good, may have been bad, but there’s always hope in the spring. And come September, I think the stark reality starts to set in either the pricing and the yields.”

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month , and when it comes to agriculture the facts are startling. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. The suicide rate among male farmers, ranchers and ag managers is 43.7 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the National Rural Health Association.

The mounting financial pressures unfolding across the agricultural economy are adding another layer to an industry that already faces one of the highest rates of suicide compared to any other profession.

“Suicide is one of those things that’s hard to put on a scale,” Jolie says. “I mean we know the lives we’ve lost. We unfortunately can’t see the lives that we’ve saved, but I do know from talking to the local ambulance district that the calls have definitely increased; 988 is a huge resource here, and those calls have gone up and increased exponentially. And just through conversations I know that that rural agricultural piece is pressing behind it.”

She says one of the most startling discoveries she’s made during her research and work is the desensitization to death among farmers. She says through various conversations, it’s a reality that’s sad but true.

It’s Not Just Financial Stress That Causes Strains on Farmers’ Mental Health

Jolie says it’s not just financial stress that causes these struggles. It’s also the fact farming comes with many stresses, and for the most part, many farmers are so isolated and might not have access to adequate healthcare.

AgriSafe says if you’re a farmer, rancher, or farmworker, you already know that your work can expose you to a variety of hazards. They believe that with proper education and access to knowledgeable health professionals, farmers can live a long, healthy, and productive life.

(The Total Farmer Health Model, AgriSafe)

According to AgriSafe’s Total Farmer Health , the financial factor is one that can compound mental health struggles, but there are other factors that lead to the risks of farmer suicides including:

Weather
Sleep
Cognition
Social
Diet
Hazards
Spirituality
Healthcare
Fitness

Signs to Watch

And for family and friends, there are signs to watch out for, including neglect of the farm or ranch or even an individual who makes a big financial moves.

“Financial moves are also huge, which is why we’ve talked to attorneys, and we also talked to the financial providers like different banks,” Jolie says. “Are they moving their money? Are they giving away prize possessions? Are they changing their wills? Are they creating a sudden will? We just want to give those resources the tools that they need just to be like, ’Are you okay?’

Daehler says his message for someone in a dark place is you’re not alone. That message is something the Foremans also wants farmers to know.

“I want them to know that we care. I want to know they feed and fuel the world, but if their bucket is empty, they can’t pour into others,” Jolie says. “It’s OK to not be OK, to talk about it, to reach out, to ask your neighbor, to not afraid if you do see something or change in behavior or more isolation. Don’t be afraid to have that conversation. And there are a lot of people that care.”

Suicide Prevent Hotlines

It’s important to remember no matter where you are, there is help. 988 is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline .

And for farmers, there is a specific farmer crisis hotline you can call that is toll-free at 866.586.6746.

The American Farm Bureau also has a Farm State of Mind campaign which builds awareness to reduce stigma and provides access to information and resources that promote farmer and rancher mental health wellness. You can visit that list of resources here .

A Silent Truth Hidden in the Farm Economy: Farmer Suicides Are on the Rise

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:35:47 GMT

Signs of stress in the farm economy are everywhere you turn, and with corn futures hitting fresh lows again this week, crumbling commodity prices are painting a dreary outlook for 2025, and the financial pressures are causing another bleak reality: farmer suicides are also on the rise.

In 2024, used equipment prices were plummeting at auction, with values of larger horsepower tractors dropping more than 20% . As used equipment flooded the auction market, Alex Kerr, owner of Kerr Auction and Kerr Equipment , noticed another troubling trend.

“This is really odd for me,” Kerr said in a video he posted to social media last year. “Three tractors up here that I bought on auction, and I’m not going to tell you which ones, but they came off of suicide — the reason is that the farmers are no longer here. It’s the reason I’ve got the tractors.”

Kerr noticed the silent truth happening in the midst of the current downturn in the farm economy, which was the fact he was seeing an uptick in the amount of equipment coming to auction as a result of farmer suicide.

“If anybody needs to talk, call your friends, call us. We don’t need to sell you anything. I don’t want to buy more tractors this way,” Kerr went on to say in the video.

Kerr says he typically doesn’t know all the stories behind the tractors he sells, especially if it’s a consignment auction. As an auction company and used equipment dealer, his focus is on the numbers. But at this particular auction, he was compelled to do something.

“I noticed at one point after I had bought some stuff, and I had it all sitting on my lot together advertised for sale. I’m lining this stuff up, and it just kind of hit me. I’m like, ‘What happened to these guys to get them to a point they wanted to do that rather than continue on?’ I’m lining up those tractors, and I thought about it for a while and turned around and made the video,” Kerr says.

While there aren’t any stats on the exact number of farmer suicides happening across the U.S ., according to a CDC study published in January 2020, farmers are among the most likely to die by suicide, in comparison to other occupations. And with 259 farm bankruptcies filed between April 2024 and March 2025, it’s clear the financial stress on farms is only growing more severe this year.

“In most cases, if it’s a financial problem, the stereotypical answer people will tell you is, ‘Oh, keep your head up. It’ll get better.’ Well, if its a financial thing, the odds are it’s not going to get better. If you just keep digging the same hole, it only gets worse. So, you need to stop and make changes in your life or your business,” Kerr says.

Kerr’s video ultimately reached Bridgette Readel , a retired agronomist who is bringing more awareness to mental health among farmers through her social media following on X (formerly Twitter).

“To be honest, I got Alex’s video sent to me by a mutual friend — a farmer from Wisconsin. Alex had listened to one of the Twitter chats that I do on Fridays and heard the discussion which had been about farmer suicide, depression and anxiety,” Readel says. “Alex never wanted to step in front of the limelight, but he could see a trend, particularly in the geography where he works. And he wanted to do something just to raise a little bit of awareness.”

She says Kerr’s video struck a chord because not only was it bringing awareness to a topic not often discussed, but other farmers could relate to it.

“So many folks could recognize themselves in it: ‘That’s my same tractor’ or ‘I have thought about these very same thoughts or problems. How do I get away from them?’” Readel says. “For those who are closer to my age and remember what the ‘80s were like, there were a lot of farm ‘accidents’ that weren’t accidents. And now it’s a fear of what if myself, my neighbor, my brother, my sister or someone else is that next person?”

Agriculture is full of doers. If farmers see a problem, they immediately want to fix it. But when it comes to mental health, it’s not an easy fix — and not one that can be resolved on your own.

That’s why Readel says there’s one main message farmers need to hear right now: it’s okay to not be okay, but you have to ask for help.

“My message to farmers is to remember that you’re not alone, and when you see something with one of your friends or neighbors, ask them. Don’t be afraid. You don’t have to be a professional at it. You can help them find a professional, but sometimes it’s as simple as sitting in the buddy seat and asking how they’re doing. They might not answer you the first time, so ask it the second time,” she says.

As AgWeb reported in 2024, it’s important the friends, family, and business professionals close to farmers are prepared and able to effectively communicate in a mental health crisis. You can read more in this story, Your Mental Health Toolbox: How To Recognize The Warning Signs.

In the U.S., you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.

Overcoming Burnout in the Agriculture Industry

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:31:15 GMT

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much. Sometimes it’s about doing the wrong mix of work or carrying all of the mental load on top of the physical. That’s according to Kacee Bohle, who runs AgriMinds , a group coaching business for members of the agriculture industry.

“You can still have a full plate and feel fine, especially if you’re doing stuff that energizes you,” she says. “But what happens when every single part of your day feels like a chore, even the stuff that you used to love? That’s when you know stuff is starting to get off. You can feel burnt out, even when you love or loved the type of work that you do.”

For business owners, farmers, ranchers and ag professionals, Bohle says people often judge themselves for having negative thoughts about the work they have chosen to do in a field they love. There is pressure to carry on the family legacy and love every part of it, and to feel proud of the work.

“Burnout doesn’t care who you are,” she says. “Burnout doesn’t care who’s in charge. It shows up when you’re over extended, misaligned, and you’re trying to carry all the things all the time without any support,” she explains.

Sometimes the work isn’t optional. The gate needs fixed. The field work needs done. The livestock need fed. Bohle points out even when the tasks can’t change, the conversation can. Sometimes it’s not the physical work that is causing burnout, but the mindset surrounding the work.

“What I mean is I want you to start noticing what expectations, pressure or guilt that you’ve been piling on top of the already heavy stuff,” she explains. “Sometimes what’s extinguishing you isn’t the work, it’s the story that you’re telling yourself about the work.”

For example, it could look like thoughts that are similar to: I should be able to handle this. I shouldn’t be tired. I chose this. I don’t have time to feel burnt out. I just need to push through this. It’ll eventually go away.

As Bohle points out, pushing through only works so long.

“There’s only so much you can brush under the rug before it starts seeping out, bulging and tripping you up,” Bohle says. “Eventually, your energy runs out, and if your mindset isn’t giving you any grace or flexibility, everything is just going to continue to feel harder.”

Can you extinguish burnout? Start with what you can control.

An exercise to address burnout is to create two lists. Write down what gives you energy and what drains you, Bohle suggests.

Notice one item on this list that drains you that you can shift or do differently, she says. Then look at the list of things that gives you energy and intentionally add back in something that gives you energy — even if it’s for just five minutes.

“This is not about trying to fix everything,” she explains. “It’s not even about trying to fix stuff overnight. This exercise is just about noticing what’s going on beneath the surface, giving yourself permission to make some small shifts here. Control what you can control.”

Four mindset shifts to keep in mind:

You’re not lazy or failing.
You’re likely mentally, physically, and emotionally maxed out.
Focus on awareness and small, intentional changes.
Remember, the goal is not to fix everything overnight, but to start noticing and making small, manageable changes.

Your next read: Overcome the No. 1 Challenge in Passing Down Your Family Farm

Questions to Ask Yourself When it Comes to Evaluating Mental Well-Being

Thu, 29 May 2025 17:44:22 GMT

Avoiding self-judgment, recognizing individual differences, focusing on personal needs and being proactive about mental health management are important for the agriculture industry to continue making progress in addressing well being and health.

Ted Matthews, director of Minnesota Rural Mental Health , has been helping farmers and farm families for more than 30 years. As a recent guest on “AgriTalk,” Matthews shared that when it comes to mental health people need to realize everyone is different, their needs are different and how they take care of their mental health will look different. The importance is understanding what that looks like for each individual.

“Because we are all different, we have to look at how we handle things personally, and not what we should do based on what other people do,” Matthews says. “We need to focus on what our mind needs, and then, as a family member, what are the family members’ needs, not what they should be. I think that’s a huge part of understanding mental health.”

Matthews says a positive step is that people are starting to understand that mental health is a huge part of physical health too.

“People need to [realize] that how you take care of yourself is by being nice to yourself,” he says. “Don’t beat yourself up for all the things you do wrong. Make sure that, if you’re going to keep score, you also score the things that you do right and the positive things you do and are.”

Based on Matthews’ advice, here are some self-evaluating questions farmers and ranchers could ask:

Self-Awareness

Am I being too judgmental toward myself?
What do I need to feel better?
Am I comparing myself unfairly to others?

Stress Management

How am I handling stress?
Are my stress levels impacting my physical health?
What specific strategies help me manage my mental well-being?

Personal Needs

What are my unique mental health needs?
How do I take care of myself differently from others?
Am I acknowledging both my challenges and my strengths?

Emotional Check-In

Am I giving myself credit for what I do right?
How am I processing difficult emotions?
Am I being kind to myself?

Support and Communication

Do I have people I can talk to about my mental health?
Am I comfortable discussing my feelings?
Would talking to a professional help me?

Check out the rest of the conversation where Matthews shares about parenting adolescents during this time of growth and development, and what people can do to navigate social media that helps protect their mental health.

Your next read: Rural Minds: Breaking the Silence Around Mental Health in Agriculture

12 Tips If You’re Feeling Isolated and Lonely

Mon, 26 May 2025 21:35:54 GMT

Mental health is not a luxury – it’s foundational to every part of life, including showing up for family and friends, holding a job, getting through school, enjoying rest and relaxation, and simply being able to connect with others.

Rural Minds, a non-profit organization that serves as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, encourages individuals to seek help during times of struggle with loneliness or isolation. If you are feeling lonely, here are some steps that can help you build social connection:

Understand the power of social connection and the consequences of social disconnection by learning how the vital components (structure, function and quality) can impact your relationships, health and well-being.
Invest time in nurturing your relationships through consistent, frequent, and high-quality engagement with others. Take time each day to reach out to a friend or family member.
Minimize distraction during conversation to increase the quality of the time you spend with others. For instance, don’t check your phone during meals with friends, important conversations, and family time.
Seek out opportunities to serve and support others, either by helping your family, co-workers, friends, or strangers in your community or by participating in community service.
Be responsive, supportive and practice gratitude. As we practice these behaviors, others are more likely to reciprocate, strengthening our social bonds, improving relationship satisfaction, and building social capital.
Actively engage with people of different backgrounds and experiences to expand your understanding of and relationships with others, given the benefits associated with diverse connections.
Participate in social and community groups such as fitness, religious, hobby, professional and community service organizations to foster a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose.
Reduce practices that lead to feelings of disconnection from others. These include harmful and excessive social media use, time spent in unhealthy relationships, and disproportionate time in front of screens instead of people.
Seek help during times of struggle with loneliness or isolation by reaching out to a family member, friend, counselor, health care provider or the 988 crisis line.
Be open with your health care provider about significant social changes in your life, as this may help them understand potential health impacts and guide them to provide recommendations to mitigate health risks.
Make time for civic engagement. This could include being a positive and constructive participant in political discourse and gatherings (e.g., town halls, school board meetings, local government hearings).
Reflect the core values of connection in how you approach others in conversation and through the actions you take. Key questions to ask yourself when considering your interactions with others include: How might kindness change this situation? What would it look like to treat others with respect? How can I be of service? How can I reflect my concern for and commitment to others?

Your Next Read: Rural Minds: Breaking the Silence Around Mental Health in Agriculture

Mental Health and Ranching: Why You Should Dig Up the Family History Book

Fri, 23 May 2025 18:40:24 GMT

Mental health has gained a stronger foothold in agriculture in the past five years and as ranchers we need to continue giving the topic space in our conversations.

Lauren Van Ewyk and Bridgette Readel are two individuals setting an example for how to give the mental health topic more space and presence online and in-person through their podcast The Rural Well and the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance .

“I do see an elevated awareness yet recently I spoke to a group in North Dakota who told me I was the first to speak about rural mental health in their county,” Readel says.

At first, the topic might seem heavy or challenging to discuss but understanding the impacts of mental health, signs and methods of improvement all make the conversation easier to have.

What Impacts Mental Health
There are no limits on what impacts an individual’s mental health. From personal experiences, volatile markets and unpredictable weather to traumatic experiences from generations prior mental health can be impacted.

“It’s important to remember that the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem,” says Van Ewyk.

One influential factor that is often unrecognized is how our ancestors processed their experiences which could have resulted in transferred trauma or generational trauma. Many immigrants started farming in the U.S. in state of survival mode where every decision was based on how to keep their family alive. Constant survival mode can result in overused resilience which can cost relationships.

Van Ewyk says, “The reality of generational trauma is we are impacted whether we agree to be or not. This trauma is passed down through epigenetics and can be passed down four or five generations.”

Signs of trauma may be hidden or presented in ways we might not expect.

“Trauma has often been hidden by the acceptable and excessive use of alcohol, abuse and farm accidents that weren’t really accidents,” Readel says.

Trauma can be held, transferred or transformed but first needs to be normalized.

“66% of the American population has experienced trauma and that doesn’t include the homeless or those in the child welfare system,” Van Ewyk says. “The most important piece to remember about trauma is each experience can be valuable to our stories and how we help others. Recognizing this is a part of transforming trauma.”

Declining Mental Health Signs
The signs of strong or poor mental health vary from individual to individual but the three main categories to look at are big changes in emotion, behavioral changes and self-harm. Mental health first aid trainings are one way to learn how to look for these signs and gain confidence in addressing them.

It’s not just on spouses, friends and neighbors to look for these signs. Bridgette notes that trainings are being incorporated in both youth farm safety days and continuing education for supporting industries such as feed and seed dealers, ag lenders and rural clergy.

Van Ewyk also likes to bring awareness to alternative stories which are a person’s indirect way of sharing what’s bothering them.

She says, “A farmer might share with me that he is stressed about the weather, the crop is below average, his wife is sick and the markets are all over the place. The alternative story is that his wife is sick and that’s what I ask about.”

Having the ability to pick up on alternative stories can be helpful to both you and the other individual.

Having the Mental Health Conversation
When we care about someone, it can add an extra weight leading up to a conversation, especially if we are concerned about saying the wrong thing. Van Ewyk and Readel encourage others to consider location, curiosity and validation before starting the conversation.

Readel says, “I like to make sure I am in a location where they are comfortable. This might be a barn, pasture or buddy seat.”

A little added comfort can add ease to the conversation.

Curiosity helps us ask the right questions, which are open-ended questions that can’t be answered with yes, no or fine.

Examples can include:
Tell me about….
Help me understand more about….

Validation helps the other individual feel seen and heard and is the missing link in many of these conversations, Van Ewyk says.

“It isn’t necessarily agreeing with the other person, but it is acknowledging what they are sharing and feeling,” she adds. “It is a mutual respect for each other even if you see things differently.”

Authentic resilience requires the willingness to share in one another’s struggles.

“We can’t heal it if we don’t feel it, which means it is ok to sit with our hard emotions, and share with others who also have had to do hard things in life,” Readel explains. “The real goal is to not stay there, but to grow, to learn from others and find the support and plan that allows you to thrive again!”

How to Improve Mental Health
Improving mental health, like the signs varies from person to person and farmers can improve right from the farm if they want.

“Farmers are fixers by nature. Once we have the tools, we fix it,” Van Ewyk says.

When she works with her clients, she finds that many of them only require a couple of sessions to address what’s going on and find the right tools to help them fix the problem.

These tools and processes can look like decreasing stress through farm-related activities, creating boundaries with family and friends, working on where and how to have business conversations versus family conversations and connecting with others who are or have gone through similar struggles.

If you want to help others who you notice are struggling remember to listen and sit in silence even if it is uncomfortable. In many cases, a listening and nonjudgemental ear helps more than we realize. If you yourself are struggling, there are people in and outside of the ag industry willing to listen and help you thrive again.

Resources
Agri-stress helpline – 833-897-2474
National Farmers’ Mental Health Alliance
The Angel Network

Listen to the full conversation here .

Your Next Read: How Focusing on Good Movement Draws Good Movement In Both Cattle and People

Feeling Stuck? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

Wed, 21 May 2025 19:47:26 GMT

Everybody’s been stuck at some point in their life. Maybe you’ve felt stuck about knowing how to move forward in your career. Maybe you’ve felt stuck between two people’s different opinions. Maybe you’ve felt stuck because you are trying to do too many things at once. Maybe you’ve just felt stuck because you are tired or angry or frustrated.

“What happens when you’re on fire?” asks Kacee Bohle, founder and CEO at AGRIMINDS . “You stop, drop and roll. That’s the first thing that I advise when you feel stuck. Let’s stop and see what’s actually going on, then we can go forward from there.”

Feeling Stuck is Normal
Bohle says being stuck is a normal situation people find themselves in. To get unstuck, take a 360-degree evaluation of your reality. What’s actually going on? What’s the root of why you’re feeling the way that you are right now?

Although there isn’t one magical way to get unstuck, Bohle suggests it starts by looking inside.

“It’s going to be different for everybody, and it really depends on all the other factors you have going into this as well,” she says. “For example, what season of life are you in? Who else is involved in your decision making? What can you actually do right now? What resources are available to you? It’s just not this cookie cutter answer where I can say, if you’re stuck, do this thing and you’re a feel all better. That’s just not reality.”

But everyone can sit back and evaluate what’s going on in their life a little more. Bohle uses a Japanese concept called ikigai to get her started.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to ‘a reason for being’ or ‘a reason to get up in the morning.’ Bohle says it’s essentially about finding what gives your life purpose, meaning and joy.

The four questions are simple ways to get yourself thinking, she says. They include:

Am I doing stuff that I love?
Am I doing stuff that I’m good at?
Am I able to get paid for it?
Does the world need what I have?

Finding a healthy balance leads to a more fulfilled life, Bohle says. But sometimes, it’s not possible to do any of those things.

“Sometimes we’re leaning really heavy in one of those areas and not even touching the other three,” she explains. “But if you know what your center could be – if you know what to get back to or what you’re working towards – it’s a lot easier to know what your next step is going to be.”

Action Creates Clarity
So, then what? Bohle says if you’re not sure what your next step is, just start doing something.

“If it feels aligned, keep doing more of that,” she says. “If it doesn’t, then shift gears and pivot into something else. Start dipping your toes into different areas.”

This can look like many things from making a big decision to make a career move to volunteering in your community. For others, it can look like having conversations and meeting new people to get that spark back, she says.

“Take small steps toward feeling something positive. The more that you do that, the more clarity you’re going to get,” Bohle says.

Do Something Unpredictable
It’s easy to get analysis paralysis when you feel stuck.

“I am a big thinker,” she says. “Sometimes I overthink it to death to the point I have considered every possible solution, and now I’m still stuck and don’t know what to do. You must do something, and that something is going to tell you whether this was the right move or not. But at least you’re doing the process of elimination, and realizing that’s the thing I shouldn’t be doing.”

In one of Bohle’s favorite shows, Covert Affairs, a spy shared that the best spy advice she ever received was to “be unpredictable.”

“I’ve always loved that advice,” Bohle says. “Don’t be ordinary. Change your routines. Do something people wouldn’t expect you to do. When you start doing stuff differently, it changes something inside of you.”

From taking a different road home than you typically do to ordering something new the next time you go to a restaurant, she says breaking out of routine can help you get unstuck.

Stop Spinning
Everything that we know or believe has either been caught or taught, Bohle says.

“If you think about our industry and who we’ve learned from, who we’ve been around, we’ve probably been influenced by them and conditioned by them,” she explains. “It takes a conscious effort to change what we’ve been taught.”

Bohle believes there’s been a lack of knowledge about available resources.

“When I think back to my professional career, and even my education, I don’t recall anybody sharing that with me,” she says. “It wasn’t until I sought out these resources that I came across them. I think there’s a lack of knowledge about how many resources exist to support you in whatever thing that you’re dealing with.”

She also says there’s a fear that it may not work, will hurt someone’s feelings or inconvenience others.

“It’s one of those endless cycles,” Bohle says. “We’re stuck spinning, spinning, spinning, and we don’t know how to get out of the whirlwind, which is why it’s so important to communicate with either your trusted circle or a professional. It can be as simple as raising your hand and saying, ‘I need some help.’”

Your Next Read: Don’t Ignore the Nudge: Why Listening Matters More Than You Think

Don’t Ignore the Nudge: Why Listening Matters More Than You Think

Mon, 19 May 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Have you ever found yourself unsure of how to take a step forward? I clearly remember a day last summer when I was out of time. The procrastination needed to stop. I had an hour-long talk to prepare for and my mind was blank.

Of course, I realized this was not a good situation to be in. Sure, I had my topic and key points, but in my mind, it needed a dash of heart.

Then, my phone buzzed.

At first, I ignored it. I didn’t have time to get sidetracked. But I eventually checked it. It was Maddie, a young woman and friend who shared her vulnerable and powerful story with me a few years ago about her attempts at suicide.

Start the Conversation
She texted, “I know you’ve been so busy lately and I didn’t want to bother you. But I’ve been thinking about this all day and felt urged to share this story with you.”

Maddie had been speaking on her mental health journey in front of a group of farmers in Ohio. She didn’t know anyone at the event and admittedly, was a little nervous to share her story. When she arrived, a middle-aged man in work boots and overalls came right over to her and asked if he could help carry her things.

She politely said, “Sure, I’d love that.”

They got to talking as they carried in her tubs of stuff. Eventually they got to the reason she was in Ohio to speak.

This 250-lb. farmer then teared up and said, “I know why you are here. Ma’am, I just thought you should know that you’re the reason I’m here.”

Although the details of his story are not what matters here, he was contemplating suicide when he scrolled upon Maddie’s story on Facebook .

“For whatever reason, I saw your parents’ side of the story first,” he told her. “I decided that I didn’t want my wife and children to find me like that. I didn’t want to leave them like that.”

I messaged back to my friend and said, “Wow. I don’t know what else to say.”

She simply responded that she didn’t know what to say in that moment either. So, she hugged him hard and that was it.

“It was exceptionally hard to compose myself the rest of the day,” Maddie texted back. “Thank you, Jennifer. You took a chance on me and whether you know it or not, you saved a life, too. I was just a small part in it.”

‘Fine’ Doesn’t Cut It
Can I be honest that I felt completely uncomfortable when she said this? (And even more so sharing this with you.) But in that moment, I was reminded that the very best thing we can do in this world is listen to others. We think we need to say something back or have the right words, but we don’t.

People just want to be heard. They want to be known. They may not say it out loud, but as humans, one of our greatest needs is to be understood by someone.

We all have stories that need to be shared, and we need people to step in and listen to them. Listening is one of the most powerful healing tools.

Almost a year ago, I wrote about my friend Mary and how she takes the time to truly see people . She’s a busy lady and balances several jobs and volunteer opportunities. But she is never too busy to genuinely look you in the eye and ask you how you are doing. Mary doesn’t ask in a way that gives you any option except to say how you are really doing. ‘Fine’ doesn’t cut it with her.

I hope you don’t let ‘fine’ cut it in your life, either. Pay attention to the people you run into every day and the people you love who you don’t get to see very often. I’m thankful Maddie didn’t ignore the nudge to text me that day. She gave me just the dash of heart I needed.

Your Next Read: By Her Own Hand: A Farm Girl’s Miraculous Journey from Death to Hope

May is Mental Health Awareness Month . Millions of Americans live with mental health conditions. Whether by sharing your story, spreading awareness, or advocating for change, every action helps break the stigma and build a more supportive world for all.

Mental Health Struggles in Agriculture: Using Social Media to Find Your People

Thu, 15 May 2025 12:26:22 GMT

“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.”

Joe, Erica and JJ Siler

(Yankee Beef)

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
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Your Next Read: How Focusing on Good Movement Draws Good Movement In Both Cattle and People

Good Communication Key to Family Business Success

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:42:57 GMT

Most people in agriculture have a “sorting pen” story or have seen a meme about working cattle with family and the challenges it can bring. However, these scenarios also offer opportunities to grow.

When a person or a family recognizes the way they’re doing things isn’t working and want to make changes in how they communicate or deal with emotions, it starts with acknowledging the issue.

“If you know things aren’t going how you would like them to go or you want them to go differently, the first step is awareness,” says Terryn Drieling, a Nebraska rancher who shares about the importance of mental health awareness in agriculture through her website , podcast and social media .

The next step is reflecting on conversations that you’re a part of and how you actually feel.

“Your body is really smart, and it remembers a lot of things that your brain doesn’t, and so it there’s sensations in your body that will clue you into what’s going on,” she explains. “So just double down on that awareness. Then ask honest questions.”

Drieling defines an honest question as one you don’t know the answer to yet.

“An honest question can be yes or no, but if you ask an open-ended honest question, you’re going to get more information to help you move forward,” she explains. “Honest questions don’t just apply to you asking them of other people, they also apply to yourself.”

A related ranching scenario could include one generation owns the ranch and the second has gone to school, is ready to come back and implement new ideas.

“Mom and Dad maybe aren’t excited about it, but if both parties are asking honest questions about the different ideas, they’re going to learn so much about why mom and dad don’t want to implement something new,” Drieling explains. “Maybe it’ll make a lot of sense to the kids coming back, or mom and dad will learn that more about this new idea and decide to try it.”

Honest questions allow both parties to hear their own answers.

“You have to hear your own answer and we receive what comes out of our mouth better than if someone would tell us the same thing,” Drieling says. “That can also be helpful. You learn something from yourself and others in the process of asking honest questions.”

If the sorting pen has gotten stressful, asking honest questions later can help create better outcomes the next time, she adds.

What could we do differently next time to prevent that from happening?
How did you envision that going or what was the outcome that you were hoping for in that situation?
What expectations do we want to have for this project in the future?

“It’s really important to make sure that you take a deep breath before you ask an honest question, especially after a stressful situation, and that you yourself are regulated and not angry,” she says. “It’s also okay to say I am genuinely curious, and I want our experience next time to be better, and that’s why I’m asking these questions. And honestly, sometimes people are so not used to having curious, honest questions asked that it’ll take them off guard and they’ll be a little bit defensive.”

Drieling suggests people start asking honest questions when the stakes are low. For example, if you’re driving through the cows together, take the time to get curious.

Some honest questions include: How did you get into this? What made you want to do this? Where did you learn all that you learned about it?

“Ask those questions ahead of time, so they’re used to you asking questions before you need to use them in the heat of the moment,” she adds.

At the core, humans want to be seen, known and heard, and that their experience is validated. The first thing Drieling wants people to understand about validation is what it isn’t.

“I think sometimes there’s this misconception that if you validate someone and their feelings and see them and recognize what they’re feeling or what they’re going through, that you agree with them. And that is absolutely not true,” she explains. “You can validate someone and completely 100% disagree with what they’re feeling or how they’re behaving. That’s not what validation is. Validation is just a recognition of what is happening with the other person.”

Drieling uses the analogy of working with mama cows during calving season. If you have one that has its head up, and it’s very watchy, that cow is being protective and showing how they feel about getting too close.

“Validation is seeing that cow and taking a step back and letting her know, ‘I see you,’” she says. “I see you don’t want me to come any closer, so I’m going to take a step back. You know you’re not going to hurt her calf, but she doesn’t know that, so you don’t maybe agree with how she’s acting, but you see it, and you’re letting her know you see it.”

Validation is seeing and hearing someone else’s side of the story, but you don’t have to fix it.

“An important piece of being able to validate others is being able to validate ourselves in what we’re feeling,” she adds. “If you’re having a hard time validating other people, maybe look back and start with yourself. Oh, I’m feeling angry. I can see that I am feeling that way, and it’s okay. You don’t even have to agree with yourself about what you’re angry about.”

Another concern Drieling has about those in agriculture is the competition of how hard people work and how many days they don’t take off.

“That’s not good in the long term. That’s not sustainable,” she says.

Just like regularly changing the oil in a truck or tractor helps it runs well and the engine doesn’t lock up, Drieling says regular maintenance is important for humans.

“Maybe nothing major is going on right now, but you can still check in and talk to someone,” she says. “I think sometimes we are so used to separating everything out that we don’t realize that everything works together as far as mental, emotional and physical health.”

Your next read: How Focusing on Good Movement Draws Good Movement In Both Cattle and People

How Focusing on Good Movement Draws Good Movement In Both Cattle and People

Thu, 08 May 2025 13:46:58 GMT

The path to mental health and emotional well-being started for Nebraska rancher Terryn Drieling in 2016 while moving cows. After she opened the gate and asked the first couple pairs to move through and they did, she sat horseback on top of the hill and watched as the rest of the cows picked up their calves and headed off in the direction of the fresh pasture.

“I was reflecting on the phrase, ‘good movement draws good movement’ because I was witnessing it,” says Drieling, who learned the concept during stockmanship schools in college. “Good movement is when we are aware of ourselves and aware of our cattle, and we communicate accordingly. It’s low stress for them and low stress for us. It’s good movement, and it draws good movement.”

Drieling, who grew up on a small feedyard, and her husband, Tom, live and work on a western Nebraska ranch with their three young children. She realized good movement applies to people too. As she reflects on the last decade, events in her life challenged her to make some changes and she’s passionate about helping others in agriculture understand the importance of emotional health.

During the pandemic, one of the ranch’s herdsman was unable to work, then quit.

“It was me and my husband taking care of two full herds of cows by ourselves with the help of a day worker,” Drieling says. “That was a lot. I look back at pictures of myself during that time, and I’m like, ‘how did I keep going?’”

After finally hiring another full-time herdsman, Drieling says that’s when the anxiety and stress hit her.

“It was really a protection, a fight or flight thing, that I was going through for several months of 2020 and when I finally had some safety, that’s when it all hit, and I realized, ‘Oh, I am not okay.’ I started diving more into inner work,” she says.

Then in 2023, Drieling’s dad passed away unexpectedly.

“My dad passing away so suddenly, and me being thrust into the deep end of healing is really what pushed me the rest of the way into sharing these ideas and shedding light on mental health and emotional well-being in agriculture,” Drieling says.

Through analogies from farming and ranching, Drieling shares examples of how the concept of drawing good movement applies to both animals and humans through her website and social media .

“What happens when you’re escalated with your cattle and how do they respond? I can relate that back to how people respond when we’re escalated. It’s similar to how cattle respond; they don’t want to be around you, or they get fighty,” Drieling says.

When it comes to better understanding ourselves and others, there are two things Drieling feels really strongly about.

“The first thing is, by not recognizing and acknowledging and using our emotions the way that they’re meant to be used, and shoving them down and getting back on that buckskin and powering through, we are literally killing ourselves,” she says. “The suicide rate in agriculture is high and as scary as it is to learn how to experience our emotions, because for so long, we’ve been taught to shove them down and power through, it’s scarier to me the rate at which we’re dying by suicide and/or being diagnosed with chronic illness.”

The importance of health hits close to home for Drieling as she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024.

“While I can’t prove it, I do believe that my tendency to shove down anger and emotions for all of my life provided the fertile soil for that cancer to grow in,” she says. “Emotions don’t go away when we don’t address them, and so it’s important for us to acknowledge them. Emotions are messengers. They’re meant to help us along the way. If we can acknowledge them, feel them, then use them how they’re meant to be used, we’re going to be so much farther ahead with our actual health.”

Secondly, Drieling sees a lot of chatter online about young people not wanting to come back to the farm or ranch and blaming the younger generation for not wanting to work or complaining they don’t have work ethic.

“From my observation, it’s not a lack of want to work or work ethic. It’s the lack of wanting to enter into that environment,” she says. “The question I think we need to ask ourselves is what has happened that’s making young people not want to come back to agriculture or come back to the family farms and ranches, then really do a gut check. If we’re honest with ourselves, I think it is the lack of emotional intelligence and how we communicate and treat each other. It’s important because it’s good for our physical health. And it’s important because if we want our relationships on our farms and ranches to sustain, we need to have that emotional intelligence.”

Focusing on good movement and self-awareness has helped Drieling and her husband communicate better with each other.

One of the most frequently asked questions she gets is, “how do I get my dad, husband, wife...on board with this?” and her answer is always, “you can’t do it for them.”

“If you want them to get on board with it, you have to start with you and your own work,” Drieling says. “Good movement draws good movement. If you want things to be different within a relationship, the best place to start is with yourself.”

Your next read: Be A Good Neighbor: Check In and Watch for Signs of Stress

Be A Good Neighbor: Check In and Watch for Signs of Stress

Thu, 01 May 2025 11:19:06 GMT

The pressure of farming and ranching today is real. The stress of managing a farm or ranch during challenging or not so challenging times can weigh heavily on an individual’s mental health.

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. from Kansas has shared his concern about the mental health of farmers and ranchers. During the recent Top Producer Conference hosted by Farm Journal, Marshall encouraged the audience to be good neighbors and look out for signs of depression, such as changes in appearance, sleep patterns or social withdrawal.

“We think about the farm-related accidents that we grew up trying to prevent,” he recalls. “This a bigger danger, a bigger risk. I just want to encourage farmers and ranchers to realize some of the signs and symptoms of depression.”

Marshall shared these tips for being a good neighbor and supporting the mental health of fellow farmers and ranchers. Look for these signs or symptoms of depression:
- Trouble sleeping at night and not being able to get back to sleep
- Giving away possessions or buying more life insurance
- Changes in appearance, like not shaving or combing their hair
- Withdrawing from social activities they used to participate in

He encouraged producers to reach out to friends and neighbors who might be struggling.

“Reach out to that neighbor of yours,” he says. “Be a good neighbor and say, ‘Hey, let’s go grab a cup of coffee and maybe a cinnamon roll.’”

Marshall says it is important to leverage your networks and connections in the community and look out for one another. He also encourages producers to recognize the resources available beyond just calling the 988 mental health hotline, such as local community health centers, which can provide support without the stigma of going to a mental health facility.

Marshall’s call to action is to be proactive, recognize the signs and then provide compassionate support to their friends, neighbors and fellow farmers who could be struggling with mental health challenges. Marshall emphasized the importance of the community looking out for one another during these difficult times.

Mental Health Resources

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Mental Health and Well-Being: What are the Top Agricultural Workplace Programs in 2025?

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:04:33 GMT

Workplace benefit plans are not just for employees, as employers also experience key benefits from the programs. A Total Rewards program, encompassing pay and benefits, provides employees with the resources they need to thrive but also increases employee engagement and retention and boosts recruitment efforts.

Employee well-being benefits are a critical piece of any benefits plan. Wellness programs offer fun and exciting ways to engage employees in healthy activities and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

AgCareers recently surveyed agricultural employers and analyzed key findings for our Total Rewards in Agriculture & Food Report. An increasing number of agricultural employers are offering a wellness program to employees, up to 71% from only 40% a couple of years ago.

Of those agricultural companies offering wellness programs, offering a standing desk to employees was the most common element, followed by flu vaccinations and health screenings.

An increasing number of agricultural employers are offering a wellness program to employees, up to 71% from only 40% a couple of years ago.

(AgCareers.com)

Because benefit trends are ever-evolving, AgCareers asked survey participants about any additions or improvements they had made to their current benefits program. Over 40% of employers reported constantly seeking ways to enhance employee benefits programs. Those looking to add specific benefits chose mental health support programs as the most preferred program.

Another essential benefit affecting employee wellness is a paid time off (PTO) program. PTO helps employees improve their mental and physical well-being, supports work/life balance and increases their productivity in the workplace. The AgCareers 2024-2025 Total Rewards Survey found a notable increase in the number of PTO days provided to new hires.

To learn more about supporting healthy HR practices and benefits specific to the agricultural industry, reach out to agcareers@agcareers.com to see how you can get your copy of the full Total Rewards Report.

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Take the Stress Out of Social Media: Navigate Detractors

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:56:23 GMT

Have you ever wanted to post on social media but were worried about potential backlash? You want to share your farm, but are worried about receiving potentially negative comments about sow housing? Maybe you are worried about getting tough questions about the use of hormones or antibiotics when it comes to feeding your animals or treating them for illnesses?

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common for farmers, veterinarians and others in the ag community advocating for animal agriculture on social media. Negative comments have the potential to steer the conversation down an unproductive path. However, if you know how to handle contentious issues online then you can help people understand the animal agriculture community’s commitment to animal care, responsible antibiotic use, sustainability and other core values.

Before deciding how (and if) to respond to comments, take a deep breath and ask yourself a few key questions:

1. Is the comment relevant or is it completely off-topic?

2. Who has made the comments? Are they genuinely curious or are they a known extreme animal rights activist?

3. Consider, “Is it possible they have a different perspective?” or “Is there something that could have shaped this person’s opinion?”

4. Will responding to the comment help other people who will read your response?

If the person has left a completely irrelevant comment, don’t feel obligated to respond. If the comment included offensive remarks, feel confident in hiding the comment or blocking the person from commenting again. Remember, your social media page is your space, and you can set community guidelines.

Depending on who has left the comment can determine how you respond. By clicking on the commentor’s profile you can quickly learn if their comments come from a place of true concern and interest, like a parent concerned about feeding his or her children safe, nutrient-dense foods, or potentially an animal rights extremist with no intention of having a productive conversation about animal agriculture.

If you have concluded that the commenter is likely not open to having a dialogue, still ask yourself if responding to the comment will help others understand your perspective. Social media is a very public space and there are many more people reading your posts and comment sections than actually engaging.

Once you have asked yourself these questions and have decided that responding is your next step, look for common ground on a related topic – such as food safety and family values. Before jumping into the safety and animal welfare benefits of using antibiotics, validate their concerns and offer empathy. Then, ask permission to share your personal experience with using antibiotics on the farm. If the conversation is going well, follow up with the science and offer resources or other people to follow on social media if they are interested in learning more.

Most importantly, know that you can always ask for help. Bring in your friends who also have experience responding to contentious issues, reach out to your local partners, or the Animal Agriculture Alliance to help you moderate difficult conversations.

This is just a preview of the content and training available in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Animal Ag Allies program. To sign up to become an Animal Ag Ally, go to and fill out the interest form to join our next class!

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