September is World Suicide Prevention Month and Tuesday the 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day. As those in the agricultural industry know all too well, farming is one of the most stressful jobs out there.
“The farm is who we are,” says Dr. Remington Rice, Health & Farm Stress Educator for Michigan State Extension. “That’s part of our identity, and anything that threatens that identity can be really stressful.”
Changing weather, changing commodity prices, broken equipment, everyday life- these can all bring about undue stress for farmers.
Occasionally, you’ll see a picture of one of those situations on social media with a caption that says, “Go check on your farmer friends- they’re not ok,” and it’s meant to be some kind of joke. The reality is it isn’t a joke. You probably should go check on them. Rice gives some things you should look out for in your farmer friends.
“If someone doesn’t really talk about death or dying and suddenly, they do, that could be a warning sign. Giving away prized possessions- if Farmer John comes to me and says, ‘I want you to have my prize hunting rifle. I don’t need it anymore,’ that could be a warning sign. Feeling hopeless, empty, withdrawn. If you have that Monday morning coffee chat and someone stops showing up, that could be a sign. Part of this, it’s just kind of like a gut feeling.”
He also adds you should be asking them open-ended questions about how they’re doing. Instead of asking “how are you doing?”, it should be something like, “what’s going well for you?”
Farmers- if you’re struggling with your mental health or contemplating suicide, Rice says resources are available. Michigan State has secured grant funds to help pay for counseling services, so cost is not a barrier.
“So, if you go to extension.msu.edu/farmstress, or if you just Google MSU farm stress, you’ll find our website. There’s an anonymous portal on there that you can put your info in and you’ll be contacted by one of the receptionists.”
You can also call 988 for immediate help.
Hear more from Rice on this incredibly important topic in the full MAT interview below.
