Farmer mental health matters: Reaching out is not weakness, it’s maintenance

By Galen Simmons

Behind the peaceful facade of endless country roads and open fields, many farmers are carrying a heavy load.

The stress of running a farm business, the isolation of rural life, family and succession pressures, unpredictable weather and volatile markets can all take a serious toll on mental health. And while the stigma around mental health in agriculture may be slowly easing, it has by no means disappeared.

Rev. Matthew Isert Bender, executive director of the Interfaith Counselling Centre in New Hamburg, said one of the first things people need to understand is farmers are not immune to the same mental-health challenges faced by everyone else.

“They’re humans living life like everyone else,” he said. “There’s a bit of the idyllic sense, the rural countryside, that everything is tranquil and peaceful and beautiful. … But they deal with all the issues of stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship struggles. Those things are there.”

In fact, he said some research suggests farmers may be facing those struggles at even higher rates than the general population. He pointed to figures showing 45 per cent of farmers reported high levels of perceived stress, 57 per cent met the classification criteria for anxiety and 35 per cent for depression.

Part of that, he said, comes from the sheer weight of the job.

“Farmers are leading a big business,” he said. “There’s big dollars with quite a few variables you don’t control.”

Those variables can include weather, commodity prices, equipment breakdowns, labour shortages and family dynamics – all while often working from home in relative isolation.

That isolation has changed over time, too. Isert Bender said older, more labour-intensive styles of farming often created natural opportunities for social connection and conversation. Neighbours worked together more often, and those everyday interactions created space to talk about life’s struggles.

“You ended up talking a bit about your relationship, a bit about parenting, a little bit about your own mental health,” he said. “Those are organic places for natural processing of normal life struggles. I don’t think they’re as available now as they once were.”

Today, with larger farms, more automation and fewer day-to-day interactions with neighbours, those social supports often have to be created intentionally.

That is one reason the Interfaith Counselling Centre tries to make itself visible and accessible in the rural community. Founded to provide counselling in a rural setting, ICC offers generalist counselling for people across Wilmot, Wellesley and surrounding rural areas, including farm families. The centre also works to ensure its counsellors understand the realities of rural and agricultural life so they can meet farmers where they are.

“If it’s planting season and a farmer’s really stressed, and the counsellor’s like, ‘Well, you’ve just got to really take your break and shut down’ … they’re not coming back,” Isert Bender said. “You don’t get it.”

Instead, he said support has to be practical and grounded in the life farmers actually live.

“Can you take at least 20 minutes? Shut the tractor off, eat for 15 minutes and maybe put your head back on your tractor seat for five minutes. Just close your eyes and breathe slowly for five minutes to let your nervous system reset just a wee bit.”

Most importantly, he wants farmers to know struggling does not mean they are weak.

“It’s not a sign of your weakness. It’s a sign of your humanness,” he said. “You’re impacted by things. … And you also don’t have to carry it alone.”

That support can begin with a trusted friend, breakfast with another farmer or a call to a counselling agency or helpline. He says talking about the stress does not make it worse. More often, it is the first step in loosening its grip.

“If you acknowledge it, accept it, name that this is a reality, it often is the first step to starting to reduce the power of it.”

And while he spoke with a bit of that gentle bluntness – the kind of language many farmers may respond to – he was also clear about the stakes.

“If you don’t care for this, it’s going to really mess you up and your relationships,” he said. “The amount of farmers struggling with addiction, the amount of farmers who end up suiciding … this, all of a sudden, is far from a laughable, joking matter.”

For farmers who need help, there are supports available.

Farmer mental-health resources

• Interfaith Counselling Centre: Rural counselling support based in New Hamburg for Wilmot, Wellesley and surrounding communities. Call 519-662-3092; email admin@interfaithcounselling.ca; or visit www.interfaithcounselling.ca.

• Agriculture Wellness Ontario: A free suite of mental-health programs for Ontario’s agriculture community, managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division. AWO includes the Farmer Wellness Initiative – free individual counselling; the Guardian Network – volunteer suicide-prevention network; and In the Know – mental-health literacy workshop tailored to agriculture. Visit www.agriculturewellnessontario.ca.

• Do More Agriculture Foundation: National non-profit focused on mental health in agriculture. Visit www.domore.ag.

• Farm Credit Canada: Rooted in Strength campaign with resources on stigma, self-care, supporting family members and real farmer stories. 4-h-canada.ca/healthyliving/mentalhealth

• Ontario Federation of Agriculture: Mental-health resources page including distress supports and ConnexOntario’s 24/7 helpline. Call 1-866-531-2600; or visit ofa.on.ca/resources/mental-health-resources/.

• 4-H Canada: Mental-health and healthy living resources for youth, families and volunteer leaders. Visit4-h-canada.ca/healthyliving/mentalhealth.