In rural communities across the U.S., where self-reliance is prized and help can be miles away, farmers are battling a silent epidemic: rising rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. Farmers are three-and-a-half times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association.
The pressures are relentless: financial instability, unpredictable weather, generational responsibility, isolation and the emotional weight of watching a legacy struggle to survive.
Despite these challenges, mental health remains a stigma to many farmers, but a growing number of advocates and storytellers are working to change that.
Filmmakers are shedding light on the human cost of agricultural life in documentaries such as “Muckville” and “Out of the Shadows,” which follow the lives of farmers grappling with overwhelming stress — and the courage it takes to talk about it. Paired with growing legislative attention and grassroots outreach, these stories are helping bring the issue out of the shadows and into the national conversation.
Putting a face to mental health struggles
Sixty percent of farmers meet the accepted medical criteria for depression; agriculture has the fourth-highest suicide rate by industry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In “Muckville,” which premiered October 2023 at the annual Woodstock Film Festival, Chris and Eve Pawelski are the subject of a short documentary about farmer depression and suicide.
A winner of HUDSY’s 2023 Community Content Fund Program, the documentary was directed, photographed and edited by Jeff Mertz and puts a face to the ongoing mental health epidemic on U.S. farms.
A fourth-generation onion farmer in Goshen, N.Y., Chris Pawelski began working on his father’s farm at age 5. After his father’s passing from renal cancer, the loss was “like losing a limb … when you spend so much time with someone.”
The loss caused Pawelski to wonder how he could continue the farm without him.
“The way things progressed led to thoughts of suicide, trying to think of ways out,” Chris Pawelski said in the documentary. "[With everything] that needed taking care of, the thought of not existing sounded appealing because there’s so much pressure. There’s so much debt that a life insurance policy seems like a viable option so my wife could pay off the debts.”
“I don’t think he wanted to die, he just wanted ‘this’ to end. To find some sort of resolution,” Eve Pawelski said in the documentary.
Chris Pawelski said he saw a therapist two years, after urging from his wife, and it was helpful. In sharing their story publicly, he said they realized the importance of humanizing their situation.
“We laid out very specific details of what we were going through, how much our losses were, how deep we were in debt,” Chris Pawelski said. By doing so, “It humanized our story, made it more tangible and real, and was much more effective as far as enabling legislators to get behind it, and eventually lead to earmarking change.
“It’s one thing to talk in the abstract about the mental health of farmers, and it only carries you so far,” he continued. “But when you personify it, when you go into details, when you humanize it, when you tell your story, it carries a lot greater impact.”
The barriers that prevent farmers from seeking help are multi-layered and include stigma, lack of knowledge about or lack of resources available, isolation and more, said Chris Pawelski, who added that the stigma alone can be a huge hurdle.
“Even before my father passed and I was having a definite kind of existential crisis, reaching out and seeing a therapist was a big leap,” he said. “The thing I didn’t tell anybody was that I felt kind of ashamed to say anything — which, if you think about it, is crazy. I nearly died of a heart attack and required a stent to be put in. I have no problem saying that to anyone, so why is it different to say that I was having mental or emotional problems and went to a therapist for help?”
In addition to the stigma associated with mental health, Chris Palewski said there’s also the lack of knowledge regarding available programs. He thinks documentaries such as “Muckville” are providing much-needed attention and resources on the topic.
His advice to other farmers: “Reach out to your most significant others, your family members, and talk to them. Then reach out and find a therapist or someone who is trained and able to offer assistance. Then reach out to your land-grant university and see your Extension services and what programs might be available. And don’t feel guilty or ashamed or as if you’ve done something wrong.”
The need for awareness
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said he’s been focusing on farmer mental health awareness for nearly two years during Mental Health Awareness Month.
“We lose a farmer most every day in America to suicide,” he said. “We’re losing as many farmers to suicide as we do in the typical farmwork-related injuries. That’s how serious it is — with probably 500 farmers a year dying by suicide.”
Stress on the farm has never been this high, Marshall said, not only in commodity prices but also with increasing costs and interest rates, “The stress on that farmer’s loan portfolio just became unbearable.”
Another mitigating factor is the added stress of a family business, Marshall said.
“When someone is a fifth- or sixth-generation farmer, the added stress of it being a family business amplifies … and you don’t want to be the person who failed your ancestors as well as your children and grandchildren,” he said. “So, the stress is very, very real.”
After starting Farmer Round Tables with groups such as the Soybean Association, Kansas Corn and Kansas State Extension as well as local community health centers and mental health centers, Marshall said they found there are resources available — and they’re being underutilized.
Because farmers are often miles from a health center, telehealth is a good place to start, Marshall said. Dial 988, he suggests.
“Instead of taking six hours off work to drive into town and then drive back, you can get help now while sitting on your tractor out there working,” he said. “I think telemedicine can be a big part [of outreach].”
‘Out of the Shadows’
In support of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, agriculture lender American AgCredit, a member of the Farm Credit System, released a documentary that sheds light on the struggles faced by farmers, ranchers and other rural community members, including Marshall and New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte, according to a news release. It said the mental health statistics in rural America are sobering:
- The suicide rate has increased 46% in the rural U.S. in the last 20 years.
- 65% of rural counties across the U.S. don’t have a single psychiatrist.
“The rates of those struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges are much higher in rural communities,” Witte said. “Many people hesitate to discuss mental health, but it’s so important to talk about. It’s real, and talking about stress and mental health makes the topic less taboo.”
The 20-minute documentary, “Out of the Shadows,” aims to inspire change and draw attention to the mental health crisis in rural communities.
“The stigma surrounding mental health often prevents individuals from seeking help,” said Curt Hudnutt, CEO of American AgCredit. “Our hope is that rural community members feel just as comfortable getting support for their mental health as they do for their physical health.”
Directed by Chris Files, the film features farmers, advocates and policymakers who share personal stories and expert insights into the issue.
Through raw interviews and real-life struggles, the documentary aims to reduce stigma and spark dialogue in communities where silence has too often prevailed.
“These folks are really dealing with the stress of feeding the world,” Witte said in the documentary. “And when you hear of cases where they just couldn’t take it anymore, you realize we’ve got to be there to help them.”
“This is an issue that disproportionately impacts agricultural America, and we want to be a voice in that space and help where we can,” Files said.
Files said he was moved that farmers were willing to share such a vulnerable aspect of themselves.
“We met Amber in the documentary, who lost her husband to suicide. That’s hard enough to deal with on its own. Then to share that story is especially hard,” he said. “The sad point is that there are these stories, and they’re everywhere.”
The documentary hopes to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, Files said.
“Just by talking about it, you’re doing something about it. Part of the problem, especially in the rural areas, is the stigma that exists,” he said. “We don’t talk about it with the same comfort we talk about, say, a broken bone or a cold or flu, and I wish we did, because [not being comfortable talking about it] is part of the problem.”
Files said he also hopes to help inform policy.
“There is a lack of resources in rural America. If you watch the documentary, you will see how far people have to travel just to get help,” he said. “If they can get themselves to the point of admitting they need help, then they have to travel an hour or two just to get it — and there are so many roadblocks on the path to mental wellness that I hope this just helps to break down a few of those.”
Storytelling has a unique role in changing how we talk about mental health and agriculture, Files said.
“You can look at statistics all day — and they are alarming, but when you can attach faces and stories to this crisis, it helps it to resonate and [connect] with your audience,” he said.
“I’ve been surprised by how many people have a story, but they haven’t discussed it until they saw the documentary,” he added. “It’s as if once one person starts talking about it, the flood gates open, and it’s disarming, and everyone else feels free to talk about it as well. So, [the documentary] has been a really good conversation starter. I didn’t know what to expect. This is an uncomfortable topic to talk about, but it’s starting a conversation that I hope never stops.”
In addition to calling or texting 988, the “Out of the Shadows” website offers a list of resources for anyone who might be struggling.
