When I was dating my cowboy years ago, he worked for a man named Ray. Ray wore the signs of a hard cowboy life: twisted fingers from multiple broken bones, bowlegged, hunched over, skin as tough as leather.
Ray always kept a can-do attitude, too. He seemed to love his life.
He taught his horse to lay down to be mounted so he could still ride. He opted for a 4:30 a.m. wake-up time. He chose suspenders when his jeans weren’t staying up.
And he talked bigger than anyone else.
Ray had earned the right to do so, I think. He’d spent his life in a saddle, his hopes and dreams on agriculture, and he had traded in a fair amount of sleeping hours. When he spoke of wild horses, the wildest were imagined – and by golly, he trained every one of them – and one couldn’t help but believe.
I’m not as old as Ray was when I met him, but as I get older, I understand to a greater degree that his choices were necessities: He couldn’t hop into the saddle anymore, so the horse had to lie down. Suspenders saved him from embarrassment. And, well, 4:30 is likely when his bladder woke him up or his body started hurting.
When I think back to Ray, I know he lived a hard life, but it was a life he loved.
Ray had little overhead and didn’t have a boss. He never heard of social media or smartphones. Certainly, he had his share of challenges; everyone does. Yet I wonder, if he were alive right now, what he’d think about the agriculture industry. Not its production or prices, although I’m sure his eyes would pop! I wonder what he’d think of the culture and the pressures.
Are the pressures we are living under today different to what they were 50 years ago? A hundred years ago? Maybe so.
While many beneficial changes have been made in agriculture, such as improved irrigation systems, digitized filing systems and online community connections, many of the difficulties have increased: increased cost of land, high production costs and a greater disconnect between urban and rural living.
As my cowboy says, “You’ve got to do more with less.”
- There are fewer acres under production but more mouths to feed.
- There are fewer lease opportunities or grazing allotments, yet more are needed to keep ranches going.
- Although there’s a growing resurgence, there is less familiarity with agriculture, even as more workers are needed to carry on ranching and fewer people who want those jobs.
- Less money is available for ranchers to spend on expansion or even starting up, but there is more cost to do so.
While this isn’t meant to be a downer of an article, I do think we need to create awareness of the unique challenges faced by those steeped in agriculture. Why? The ag community has strong roots of self-reliance, toughness and resilience, which is good, as long as it doesn’t get to the point that we don’t ask for help. When it comes to mental health challenges, studies show that agricultural producers refuse mental health help because of the stigma of it. Will they be judged by the neighbors?
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm State of Mind, suicide rates for farmers (and ranchers) are two to five times higher than the national average. When those in agriculture drag their boots into a health care provider, they are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression as compared to other professions.
If we were to point toward a different profession – let’s say stockbroker on Wall Street – there’s a very real understanding of the high stress associated with that job. I once heard a man say at a conference that he had a heart attack in his 40s and after that decided it was time to leave Wall Street. Everyone who heard his story sympathized and validated that kind of stress. However, agriculture has not been that forgiving.
Yet that is changing.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and more people are recognizing and speaking about mental health in agriculture. In March, my hubby attended a guest lecture at a nearby university, and while the topic wasn’t mental health, the speaker spoke to the next generation about the challenges needed for surviving in the agricultural sector – and how they impact mental health. He was encouraging young students to be prepared for challenges and to be equipped with resources.
I’d agree. If any industry has the power to tap into resources, it’s agriculture. Check out a few suggestions from Iris Parr, author and director of communications at the National Farmer Mental Health Alliance:
- Build a support network: Stay connected with family, friends or farming communities to share experiences and relieve feelings of isolation.
- Take breaks: Step away from work periodically to recharge mentally and physically, even during busy seasons.
- Set realistic goals: Break large tasks into smaller, manageable steps to avoid overwhelm.
- Seek professional help: Don’t hesitate to consult a mental health professional, especially if stress or anxiety become overwhelming.
- For more tips, visit Rural Minds.
Our lives may look different than Ray’s, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be living a life we love. Let’s watch out for one another. We are in this together, my friends!
