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Income for Minnesota farmers continues to decline, an added challenge on top of unpredictable weather events, tariffs and labor shortages. These stressors can take a toll on people working in the agricultural sector.
Extension Educator Emily Krekelberg and Jeff Bender, director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH), share what you need to know about farmer mental health.
Q: What are the most common mental health concerns among farmers?
Bender: There are many uncertainties in farming, including finances, weather, fatigue and commodities markets. These factors are often compounded over time and become long-term stressors that wear on farmers, their families and people in their communities. Cultural stoicism also keeps many folks from talking about these stressors. And on top of that, many farmers experience social isolation, and may lack convenient access to mental health services.
Q: What factors influence farmer mental health?
Krekelberg: Mental health is shaped by the interaction between personal, occupational and environmental factors. Unpredictable elements like weather events, market volatility and animal disease outbreaks can cause significant psychological strain. At the same time, a strong social network, access to support services and engagement in health-promoting behaviors — like adequate rest, nutrition and physical activity — can play a direct role in improving mental health.
Q: What are warning signs that someone in your life might be struggling?
Krekelberg: Changes in behavior are key indicators — withdrawal from the community, increased irritability or anger, lack of interest in daily tasks and neglect of personal or farm responsibilities. Other warning signs could include sudden uncontrollable emotions, emotional numbness, poor eating or sleeping habits, and an increase in physical illness. It’s important to remember that all of us have bad days, so also consider how long you’ve been observing these warning signs. If someone seems “off” for more than a few days or weeks, it’s worth checking in. Having someone notice and reach out can be a critical step toward getting support.
Q: What challenges do rural farmers face in accessing the care they need?
Bender: Farmers face a number of challenges, including inadequate availability of services, limited accessibility of those services, and the low social acceptability for those seeking mental health services. It’s estimated that 62% of rural communities face a shortage of mental health professionals and that half of U.S. counties have no mental health practitioner. The good news is that the situation has improved over the past decade, as additional services have become available.
Q: How does your work at the University of Minnesota support farmer mental health?
Bender: At UMASH, we’ve learned that addressing farmer mental health requires bringing people together. We’ve gotten involved several times around key events, especially during outbreaks like Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which had a major impact on farmers, their families and rural communities. Supporting mental health in these situations takes a team effort that involves healthcare providers, University of Minnesota Extension, industry partners, veterinarians and others — all of whom have a role to play. By building these networks, we create opportunities for collaboration, engagement and stronger support systems for farmers, their families and rural communities.
Krekelberg: I work on a variety of programs that support farmer mental health. These programs include Farm Couple Retreats to help strengthen relationships and communication, Ambiguous Loss and Farming programs to educate farm families on dealing with ongoing grief and monthly suicide prevention trainings in partnership with NAMI Minnesota.
Emily Krekelberg is an Extension Educator focused on farm safety and health. She is based out of Extension’s regional office in Rochester. Her areas of expertise include livestock management and safety, youth farm safety, farm incident prevention, ambiguous loss in farming, and farmer mental health and suicide prevention.
Jeff Bender is a professor in the School of Public Health and director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH). Bender is also a veterinarian and public health practitioner with over 20 years of post-graduate experience on a broad range of research and surveillance projects pertaining to diseases and injuries at the human-animal interface.
Megan Schossow, UMASH’s former center coordinator and director of outreach, also contributed.
Source: University of Minnesota