AMES, Iowa —
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains discussion of suicide and self-harm that may be disturbing to some. The above video originally aired in August 2022.
In a place as rural as Iowa, farmers are the backbone of many statewide industries – but they’re also one of the most vulnerable populations for mental health struggles.
Farmers, ranchers and other agriculturalists are more than two times more likely to die by suicide in the United States than other occupations, according to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As farmers enter their off-season and winter seasonal affective disorder is at full swing for many Americans, Dr. David Brown with the Iowa State University Extension for Farm and Ranch Wellbeing says now is as good a time as any for farmers to keep an eye on their mental health.
"We know that about 6 to 10%, especially individuals in northern climates, like Iowa, can be impacted a bit by SAD," Brown said. "So yeah, this is the prime time."
What's causing farmers to struggle with mental health and suicide ideation?
According to Brown, some of the contributing factors for farmer suicide rates are part of wider trends.
“One's a kind of a very simplistic reason: most farmers are male. And men have a much higher suicide rate than females. And so that's one key issue,” he said. “We also know, in the rural parts of the state, [they] probably have a little bit more access to guns. And so that's part of it. We know that farmers usually, typically, use guns to die by suicide.”
Rural suicide deaths are higher than city statistics, with non-metro rates averaging 20.5 per 100,000 people and central metropolitan deaths totaling only 10.9 per 100,000, per the CDC.
Some causes are more specific to the agriculture industry, with many farmers viewing their job as a part of their culture and heritage. The idea of losing that part of them can be detrimental to their health.
"Because farming is such a key part of their identity, we know that losing a farm, or any type of physical disability, physical illness that allows them not to farm is also a big risk factor for suicide," Brown said.
With mostly rural men making up the population and an abundance of physical and mental stress present in the industry, farmers are placed in a tricky situation — one they may not feel comfortable discussing.
"There's also, you know, the stress of isolation, the kind of self-reliance independence that farmers have," Brown added. "And not wanting to seek help when maybe they would benefit from it."
That secretive tendency is especially prevalent when it comes to substance abuse issues, which Brown said can be common when farmers are unable to work due to injuries, leading to drug or alcohol dependencies and higher rates of depression.
"We know that farmers across the nation have at times gone out and find other substances to help manage that pain, and that opioids become, obviously, a key problem," he said.
For progress to be made, Brown urges farmers to do more than just tough it out, even if it's hard.
"That's probably not the best thing for them to do. They probably need to ask and get some help and seek out help — not only for the health care, but their mental health care as well," he said.
What is Iowa doing to address it?
Some of Iowa's leaders are strong proponents of farmer mental health aid, with many laws passed over the last few years aiming to tackle farmers in crisis.
In August 2021, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig partnered with Iowa State University to help fund and build their outreach program, including a $500,000 grant to expand farmer mental health support programs in Iowa.
Sen. Joni Ernst's bipartisan FARMERS FIRST Act added funding to state departments, extension services and nonprofits from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in 2019.
The money was meant to "establish helplines, provide suicide prevention training for farm advocates, create support groups, and reestablish the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network."
Where is help available?
There are many resources for farmers and their loved ones to find help across the state.
Free, one-on-one counseling via Farm Family Wellness is available 24/7 by calling 1-833-999-FARM (3276) or joining a live chat here.
The ISU outreach program has free 30 minute or more lessons to educate farmers and their families on stressors, emotional regulation and handling mental health called "Stress on the Farm."
Another resource is IowaCrisisChat.org, which offers live chats with trained health professionals from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day.
Here is a list of hotlines:
CommUnity Crisis Services: 855-325-4296 (call or text)
Iowa Concern: 800-447-1985, or by email on their site
Your Life Iowa: 855-581-8111 (call), 855-895-8398 (text)