BOYLSTON, Mass. - Heading into the New Year, the state is making a vow to enhance mental health resources for farmers across the commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is investing in mental health assets for the state’s farms with weekly training sessions.

We spoke with a local farm owner who says a lot of stress farmers face come from things they can’t control and it’s great to be highlighting mental health for the agricultural community.

Tricia May owns Spring Ridge Farm in Boylston, MA with her husband Mike. They collaborate with local vendors, bakers and people who help on the farm to provide products for restaurants and their community.

“The lion’s share of our sales are direct sales," Tricia Maysaid. "We have a couple restaurants we work with but it’s primarily direct-to-consumer.”

According to Ashley Randle of the MDAR, Massachusetts has more than 7,000 farms, a majority of which rely on direct sales like Spring Ridge.

“From Berkshire County to Barnstable County we have a wide diversity of farms," MDAR deputy commissioner Ashley Randle said. "And really one of the key features of Massachusetts agriculture is our direct-to-consumer sales.”

May says farmers face an endless number of stressors, but many put up a brave front to conduct business as usual for people who rely on them.

“When I was a kid, all this mental health stuff, you’d try to pretend like - sweep everything under the rug," May said. “At the end of the day everyone still has to eat - regardless of weather, the time of year, the time of day, the pandemics in the world – you still have to eat. So, it’s a fundamental thing, we have to still make it happen.”

The state has spent the last year developing wellness training sessions through speaking with the agricultural community about their needs.

“The survey work and the focus group really helped to inform the trainings that we’ll start hosting in January," Randle said. "Which we're going to hold across the state as well as virtually to make sure that they're accessible to not only farmers, but organizations and stakeholders that support our farming community.”

Both Randle and May agree mental health is investment which can benefit any industry.

“I think it’s really good that it’s such a common thing to be talked about today that everyone," May said, "everyone will benefit from some good mental health guidance and investment.”

The agricultural mental health training sessions will run weekly from January to March.

Registration information can be found on the state's website.

The MDAR asks everyone to share and be supportive of their local farmers.