It鈥檚 easy to focus on problems and mistakes in farming. At least it was for John Kimbrough, a Marine Corps veteran who now raises cattle with his wife Erin in Texas, who didn't come to terms with his mental health until it was nearly too late.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how much it affected me until my wife wrestled a pistol out of my hand,鈥� Kimbrough said. 鈥淭hank God she鈥檚 been through a lot of martial arts training and was better at pistol disarms than I am.鈥�
A 2020 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that farmers died by suicide at a higher rate than people in most other professions. The same study found that overall suicide rates have increased by more than 40% in less than 20 years.
This year could be especially challenging for farmers given rising input costs from inflation and supply chain issues; market volatility caused by Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine; along with difficult weather conditions such as drought in parts of the Great Plains.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture held a three-day focusing on mental health for farmers this week. Speakers addressed the challenges facing people in agriculture as well as the resources and solutions available.
Mental health illness and stress is a problem even when it doesn鈥檛 lead farmers into suicidal thoughts, according to Courtney Cuthbertson, who co-leads the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center in Illinois and took part in the event.
Cuthbertson said research has shown that as mental health worsens, the risk of farm accidents increases and farmers are less likely to take on new technologies.
鈥淎griculture is only sustainable when we take time to sustain the people who work in agriculture, which means being attentive to mental health,鈥� Cuthbertson said. 鈥淲e may not be able to stop an incoming derecho, but we can change the resources that folks in agriculture have to respond to that stress.鈥�
Outside of the current flashpoints of weather and markets, agriculture continues to move toward mega farms, squeezing family farms to near-extinction.
While peer support and community resources are a part of getting help to struggling farmers, Mary Hendrickson with the University of Missouri said it鈥檚 crucial to understand that farmers and ranchers are facing fundamental, ingrained problems.
The rural sociology professor cited her time growing up on a Nebraska farm through the 1980s farm crisis.
鈥淲hen you have hundreds of thousands of people go out of business in five to 10 years, it's not an individual problem,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he stressors are structural and systemic. And without understanding that, we won't be as successful with intervening with individuals.鈥�
Scott Marlow, a deputy administrator for the USDA鈥檚 Farm Service Agency, said it鈥檚 easy for farmers to internalize large-scale challenges.
鈥淲e have a series of issues in agriculture that are making it difficult for farmers to remain viable,鈥� he said during the forum. 鈥淭he culture says it鈥檚 on you, the individual, to work harder to be successful in an environment where no matter how hard you work, you might not be successful.鈥�
Kimbrough鈥檚 struggles with mental health led him to support farmers鈥� well-being through the Texas Veteran Farmer Coalition. He said he asks the 鈥渢ough questions鈥� when he sees warning signs, even though he jokes that the last thing farmers want to do is discuss their feelings.
鈥淔ocusing on the negatives took me to a really dark place, where the only way out was to stop the pain and end it all,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut now I鈥檓 refocused on the positive things in my life and on helping other farmers and ranchers."
Follow Elizabeth on Twitter: @Ekrembert
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues. Follow Harvest on Twitter: @HarvestPM