Mental Health and Farm Workers
According to a 2022 Farm Bureau poll, “farmers, ranchers and people in rural areas are more comfortable talking about stress and mental health challenges with others…the stigma around seeking help or treatment has decreased in rural and farm communities but is still a factor.” The GPCAH knows stress and mental health challenges can cause all sorts of physical and emotional problems, leading to more injuries and deaths on the farm. We are providing these resources to help farm workers find help when they need it and to train people who work with farmers how they can also help.
Suicide Prevention Posters (8.5″x11)
Click on the poster below to access posters/handouts that can be used to train individuals and groups about how to talk about suicide on the farm. The documents include information, resources, and tips about recognizing warning signs specific to farmers and their communities. This documentation was finazlied in March 2023.
National resources for information about stress and mental health:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- AgCountry Farm Credit Services: Mental Health Resources for Farmers
- American Farm Bureau: Farm State of Mind
- American Fdn. for Suicide Prevention: Talk Saves Lives
- Farm Aid: Resource Guide for Farm Crisis Support
- Farm Crisis Center
- Make it OK
- Michigan State University: Managing Farm Stress
- National Farmers Union: Farm Family Resource Initiative
- National Alliance on Mental Health
- Rural Health Info Hub: Mental Health in Rural Communities Toolkit
- Veterans Crisis Line
- Workplace Suicide Prevention: Resources for Implementing Suicide Prevention with Employees
What’s your normal? Conversations about coping with stress on the farm
Ag Worker Mental Health Training
The GPCAH is providing presentations below (click to download) to anyone interested in helping others understand the stressors facing farmers. This was originally developed and used in 2019 to help crisis volunteers better communicate with farmers experiencing stress. Slides and new resources were added in 2022. Notes are included to discuss how to talk about materials on each slide.
In this video from The National Corn Growers Association, a Kansas farmer shares his struggle and encourages others to do so as well.
Did you know?
When compared to other workers, farmers are more likely to die by suicide according to a study published in January 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the Midwest alone, over 1,500 farmers have taken their own lives since the 1980s.