September Suicide Prevention in Farmers and Ranchers

There is no group of people, no industry or culture that isn’t touched by the devastation of suicide.  Some of the roughest, toughest, pull-ya-up-by-your-bootstraps and cowboy-up kind of people fall victim to the mental illnesses that can lead to suicide.  The agriculture industry, including logging, mining, farming, and ranching, has the highest suicide rate of any industry in the United States.  In fact, suicide rates are in an unfortunate climb in farmers and ranchers.

Over the last several years, research has been conducted to find the circumstances that are leading to the overwhelming number of suicides in farmers and ranchers.  The research has shown that the myriad of challenges that farmers and ranchers face can, over time, become so overwhelming that they can’t find a way out.  A look at those very challenges farmers and ranchers are up against, help us realize why suicide in agriculture is on the rise.

The greatest challenge and overwhelming concern farmers and ranchers deal with is the financial stability of their operations.  They may operate hundreds of livestock, with expensive machinery over thousands of acres, but the truth is that most farming and ranching businesses don’t turn a hefty profit.  In fact, the last several years have shown that across the country, most operations have taken a loss.  

A handful of factors have led to a greater financial burden for many operations.  Factors such as increasing input costs like hay, fertilizer, seed, equipment and parts.  There are times that farmers and ranchers can get creative to reduce costs, but those practices are proving less productive and leaving operators unsure how they will afford to keep going on.

Increasing interest rates make borrowing less beneficial for farmers and ranchers, even more risky.  Most agriculture businesses utilize operating loans that allow them to borrow funds until their harvests are in and, more importantly, their checks have been cashed.  There is always that risk of borrowing more than what is brought in at the end of the season and increased interest rates makes for an even greater borrowing risk.  

Coupled with increasing operating costs, an unreliable market has made farming and ranching an even greater gamble.  Hoping and waiting for prices to rise, only to watch them sink or sink even further is a fear everyone in the agriculture industry has had to face.

So many other issues farmers and ranchers face like many of their financial burdens are things that are outside their control.  Of course, the greatest influencing factor for farmers and ranchers is the weather.  

Across the country, operations have dealt the weighty blow of drought, blizzards, flooding, freezing temperatures and abnormal heat waves.  All of these unpredictable and devastating weather patterns have come with an even greater stress for those affected operations and, in some cases, even left many with no option but to sell out.

The ever evolving industry with rapidly growing technology and developing marketing opportunities can make old fashioned operations frustrated and disheartened with how to keep up and stay relevant as things around them change.  Delving into these new ideas can be a great investment, not only financially but also mentally and emotionally.  The traditions and culture of many operations can be defining and moving away from the way grandpa used to do it may be a change some are unwilling or unable to make.

Many farmers and ranchers struggle under the weight of an uncertain future of their operation, largely due to the unanswered and often unasked question of who will keep the family farm or ranch running.  Not having a plan of who will take the reins next or any sort of succession planning leaves a lot of unrest and can cause significant family conflicts.  

On the flip side, a larger number of the upcoming generation are choosing not to return to the family operation, leaving aging farmers and ranchers without an heir and forced to sell out.  For those younger generations that are staying, they are feeling the pressure to keep the family operation running.  After years and generations of work, they can feel they can’t be the ones to fail and lose it all.

Men aged 65 and older make up the largest group of farmers and ranchers taking their own lives.  After a lifetime of farming and ranching, they begin feeling lost and unsure of who they are as they find themselves less capable and successful at the very thing they have dedicated their lives to.  Many aging farmers and ranchers have physical and mental disabilities that make it impossible for them to keep working and they find themselves slipping into an all consuming depression.

There are several other factors that might not weigh so heavily, but certainly contribute to the burden farmers and ranchers face.  Consumer demands and opinions often make farming and ranching feel like a thankless job.  Despite their efforts to feed the world, farmers and ranchers are often made the bad guy.  Disconnected hordes call their work animal cruelty or claim that they are destroying the environment.  Government regulations continue to make farming and ranching difficult and many operators worry how much longer they will be able to keep things running.  While most enjoy the peace and quiet of country living, there is some amount of isolation that magnifies mental illnesses and increases the likelihood of suicide.

As these heavy burdens pile on one another, it can, unfortunately, add up to a silent dialogue, proving to themselves they can’t win, they aren’t good enough and there is no way out. And then they begin to believe that the only answer, the only escape, is to end their lives.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The first step to reducing suicide in farmers and ranchers is to admit, out loud, that this is real.  The stigma around mental health challenges is a problem that needs to be addressed head on.  The old adage to toughen up and get over it just doesn’t work.  Allowing the grace and space for people to admit when they are suffering from anxiety, depression and countless other illnesses will make it easier for them to ask for help.

Next, there are several programs and tools to help farmers and ranchers manage those aspects of their operations that are becoming all too overwhelming.  Accountants, financial advisors and succession planners can help ease the burden for many of those weighty decisions.  It might seem counterintuitive to pay for additional services when the budget is tighter than ever, but the dividends will far surpass the costs.

As loneliness and isolation, whether physically, mentally or emotionally, plays such a large part in mental illness, taking time away from the farm and ranch is a healthy habit to establish.  Volunteering in the community, joining a club or group, taking time to rest with friends and family, or simply finding new hobbies will help battle mental illness.  

Of course, the greatest step to addressing mental illness is asking for help.  Whether it is reaching out to a friend, spouse, family member, doctor or counselor, ask for help when you need it.  The resources available come in all different shapes and sizes that will allow for the right help you need.

Cowboy or not, it’s time we cowboy up in a new way when it comes to mental illness and suicide prevention.  The stresses within agriculture can be overwhelming and difficult to handle, but no challenge, no hardship is worth the cost of anyone’s life.