Farmers and agricultural workers experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use than the general population, yet few seek help. This article highlights why farm culture contributes to mental health struggles and what farmers can do to find support.
In this article:
Key points
Farming is stressful: Farmers deal with a lot of stress, like bad weather, sick animals, long hours, and money problems. Many farmers feel alone and don’t have easy access to mental health care.
Some farmers use substances to cope: Stress and hard physical labor leads some farmers to drink alcohol, use tobacco or drugs, or take pain medicine that can be addictive. Some even use drugs to stay awake for long hours, which can hurt their health.
Help is needed and available: Farmers need better access to mental health care that understands their lifestyle. Talking with other farmers about mental health and having support groups can help them feel less alone and get the help they need.
Why are farmers at a higher risk?
Farmers and agricultural workers are at a high risk for developing a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Some reasons for this include stressors such as:
- uncontrollable weather conditions and climate change
- unpredictable health conditions of animals
- long hours of physically demanding, repetitive labor
- social isolation
- financial stress
- pride and/or fear of being perceived as weak
- lack of mental health resources in rural areas
Farmers and agricultural workers may also feel pressure to push through mental health struggles to continue doing their jobs because so many people are relying on them. Unfortunately, in the United States, male agricultural workers die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of males in the general population.
You deserve mental health support and a strong community of people who understand you.
Stress and substance use
The commitment required for maintaining a farm or ranch shows the strength to keep moving forward even when things get tough. But this stress can build up and may get difficult to manage without support.
Many farmers and agricultural workers will turn to substances to cope with the stress. In addition to alcohol, farmers may use tobacco and cannabis.
You may feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. For this reason, some farmers might use stimulants like methamphetamine (meth) and cocaine to stay awake so they can work long hours.
Farming is also a physically demanding job. Many farmers push through the pain to make sure crops and animals are taken care of. But if the pain gets too intense, you may be prescribed prescription painkillers (opioids) for injuries. Opioids can be highly addictive and may lead to a substance use disorder.
Getting help
Being a farmer is a unique experience. You deserve mental health support that acknowledges your specific needs as an agricultural worker.
Farm-focused mental health initiatives that are part of co-ops, agricultural extension offices, or farm bureaus can help connect farmers to mental health care. These services take farm culture into account when offering support and work to integrate services into your daily life as a farmer.
You can also receive training to provide mental health check-ins to your fellow agricultural workers. This can make it more likely for people to get help early on and reduce substance misuse.
Reducing stigma
Farmers are hardworking, resilient people who often value self-reliance. This can make it difficult to speak up when you need help. Connecting with someone who understands the challenges of being a farmer (a peer) can help you feel less alone if you are struggling. Peers can help you find mental health resources, explore more sustainable farming practices, get through tough times, and more.
MHA resources
- Addiction/Substance use disorder
- Co-occurring: Mental health and substance use disorders
- Rural mental health crisis
- Rural mental health resources
- Rural mental health crisis fact sheet (PDF)
- Supporting youth mental health in rural communities (Webinar)
- The rural mental health crisis (Webinar)
- Hidden struggles: Addressing mental health stigma in rural areas (Webinar)
- Providing peer support in a rural environment (Webinar)
- What is mental health stigma?
- Managing your money
- Stress
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Take a mental health test
If you or a friend are struggling with your mental health, take an anonymous, free, and private mental health test. It only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished, you will be given information about the next steps you can take based on the results.
