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Farming is hard, but support for farmers' mental health is available

Jessica Hall is the co-owner of Harmony Harvest Farm, a flower farm in Augusta County that also ships products nationwide.
Jessica Hall
Jessica Hall is the co-owner of Harmony Harvest Farm, a flower farm in Augusta County that also ships products nationwide.

As we continue to enjoy this year’s harvest in our holiday meals, we may forget where all that food comes from. It takes hard physical work to produce that bounty, but people in agriculture can also experience mental health issues. And help for that is available. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports.

Agriculture is the largest private industry in Virginia, with 97% of farms in the state owned by families. People in the agriculture profession face a variety of stressors impacting their mental health, which can include financial concerns, and other factors, such as weather, that can influence every year’s harvest.

But farmers may not have access to health insurance, or mental health specialists in their vicinity. And finding a specialist who is aware of issues related to agriculture is another matter. One of those issues is that farming rarely provides down-time. Jessica Hall is the co-owner of Harmony Harvest Farm, a flower farm in Augusta County that also ships products nationwide.

JESSICA HALL: So, I think a lot of farmers would tell you that there is not a schedule that doesn’t ever turn off.

Hall manages the farm with her mother and sister. The sisters also run a separate business on the grounds that produces sustainable floral design tools. Hall says she begins her day at around 4 a.m., but after her teammates disappear later in the day, she continues working on the farm.

HALL: So, in the evenings there’s still work to be done on the farm. And after I welcome my kids home on the school bus, I’m back out into the greenhouses – you know, covering crops and tightening things up, and putting things away for a nice evening. But there’s always work to be done on the farm.

Hall says that the work is uniquely isolating.

HALL: I think any business is gonna tell you it’s incredibly stressful and isolating...If you look at any spectrum of farming, a lot of times it’s somebody on the tractor by themselves, it’s somebody weeding by themselves... There’s a lot of solo time. And when you’re alone like that – even if you work within a group, the endless and daunting tasks that – there’s no end to a list ever on a farm. There is always more to be done than can be accomplished.

And the specter of failure on a farm extends beyond just losing a business.

HALL: …I live where I work. So, if I get fired, lose my business, I lose my house... it’s all very interwoven and so it can feel a little harder to disconnect that and to not take that as part of your identity of success or failure. And it takes a lot of work to be able to compartmentalize that.

Hall says that they are a family business, and that they work through challenges together, including mental health hurdles.

HALL: It’s opening up that vulnerability in a really safe space to make sure that we’re all the best “us-es” at the end of the day. Like, all farmers can grow good crops, but all farmers really need to focus on growing good farmers.

Jeremy Daubert is a dairy agent at the Rockingham County Extension office.
Jeremy Daubert
Jeremy Daubert is a dairy agent at the Rockingham County Extension office.

Jeremy Daubert is a dairy agent at the Rockingham County Extension office. He says that stigma in agriculture can keep people from seeking out resources when they need them.

JEREMY DAUBERT: There is still a stigma that you know, if you seek mental health it’s you know, it’s a weakness, I guess is how it’s perceived. You know, we’re just trying to help bring awareness that... if you break your arm you go to the hospital and get a cast put on it. Well, you know, mental health -- it’s not a weakness, it’s a sickness.

Daubert says most farmers either don’t have health insurance or have very limited insurance. But he says there are a lot of resources, and practices, available, including telehealth.

DAUBERT: Some other things that we try and teach when I do some of my sessions is just some things that people can do to lower their stress. You know, exercising, eating healthy, meditation, prayer, you know deep breathing exercises. Some things that really don’t cost anything, that really don’t take a lot of time, and they can just be more intentional about, you know, paying attention to their mental health to help themselves.

There are hotlines dedicated to serving farmers, such as the AgriStress Helpline and Farm Aid Hotline. But Hall believes that those resources are not highlighted enough.

HALL: It’s one of those things of getting the resources where they really matter, you know, everybody’s going to the co-op to buy their seed and fertilizer. There really should be some posters up, explaining. Every tractor supply bathroom should have a big poster about mental health and the hotlines that you can reach out to in case you need help.

Even though the stress factors are many, there is also hope for building connections and staying grounded.

Anyone who's struggling can call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Ayse Pirge graduated in Fall 2021 from William and Mary with a BA in English. She is also interested in writing stories and poetry, and hopes to publish a poetry chapbook.