Right now, there are a lot of stressors within the agriculture world. Commodity prices are down and many are facing drought conditions. Those circumstances put a lot of pressure on the people who work in the agriculture industry.
When working on ranches and farms, there are many aspects that are out of the hands of the worker. Some of these situations include the amount of moisture, commodity prices, and natural disasters. This results in significant pressure being put on the agriculture workers at these establishments, which can lead to greater mental health struggles.
According to the National Library of Medicine, farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture workers rank fourth in male suicides.
Agrisafe is a program that provides training and resources for agricultural health care. It was started in 2003 by rural nurses who saw farmers and ranchers not getting the health care they needed because they were in those rural environments.
Laura Siegel, Health Communications Officer for Agrisafe, explained how Agrisafe focuses on every health aspect.
“Health is not just physical, it's mental, it's social, it's spiritual,” she said.
In the agriculture community, workers are not taught to seek help when they are starting to struggle with their mental health.
“That independence, that self-reliancy, pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality. It's so hard,” Siegel continued.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that net farm income is down 2.6% ($4.3 billion) from 2025. When the Texas Farm Bureau adjusted that number for inflation, that number grew to a decline of 5.5% from 2025.
Due to growing inflation and decreasing income, there has also been a loss of farms across the U.S. The USDA shows that there were 1.88 million farms in 2024, a decrease of 8% since 2017.
“If you have a farm that's been in your family for generations and financially it's becoming unable to stick around, you feel that loss,” Siegel said. “That pressure for not just your past generations, but for the future generations, it can be such a huge stressor because farming and ranching is part of your identity.”
Siegel uses a metaphor when farmers and ranchers are dragging their feet about getting help.
“You need to be taking care of yourself, just like you're taking care of the farm. You have to do preventative maintenance to your machinery so it doesn't break down,” Siegel explained. “It's the same thing. You are not a machine. You need to go in for those tune-ups. You need to make sure that you're checking in on yourself.”
Since people in the agriculture industry tend not to communicate their struggles so directly, Siegel says there are signs you can watch for in your loved ones, like isolating themselves or taking bigger risks.
“Maybe if they've had a substance use issue, maybe they've relapsed, that can be a big warning sign,” Siegel said. “If they're neglecting the farm, like that's their prized thing. If you notice that it's not being taken care of, the animals aren't as in good health, that's a really big red flag to go check in.”
Agrisafe provides many helpful sources to turn to when one is struggling with their mental health. They have their Agristress Helpline where one can call or text 833-897-2474. Agrisafe also has an Agristress Provider Directory where one can find a mental health provider near their location who they can go talk to.
If you or someone you know is showing signs of needing help, the suicide hotline is available to anyone by call or text at 988.