Part 4 of Spectrum News 1's series "The Year in Farming"
COLUMBUS, Ohio —In the agricultural industry, many factors can lead to stress on a day-to-day basis.
- Statistics show farmers commit suicide at double the rate of the general population
- Agriculture is Ohio’s largest industry
- Organizations in the state are working to combat the problem and provide as many resources as they can
“There's so many things out of the control before the weather, what the president does with China's out of their control, the markets are out of their control, but yet they blame themselves when things go wrong,” said Ty Higgins, spokesman, Ohio Farm Bureau.
Over the past two years, those factors have come together to create the perfect storm.
“A year like this year, and even the spring of 2018, we've seen areas in Ohio that have faced circumstances that they have never seen,” said Frank Burkett, Canal Fulton, Ohio. “My grandpa on this farm at eighty-eight years old, has never witnessed a spring like the one we witnessed this year.”
Farms that have been around for generations are having to adapt with little precedence.
“Just one question to my dad after another that he just had no idea, because these are all situations that we've never really dealt with before and definitely not in conjunction. So emotionally, it's been a big roller coaster, particularly negatively,” said Brian Herringshaw, Wood County, Ohio.
Those stresses are leading to serious mental health issues.
“Unfortunately, we have seen the suicide rate in agriculture, that's one of the highest in industry in the U.S., because that's how a farmer sees a way out of their situation, unfortunately,” said Higgins.
Dee Jepsen, a professor at The Ohio State University, says the university has created a task force to provide farmers with resources from financial guidance to workforce development and, of course, mental health outreach.
“So, we know farmers are very resilient people, you wouldn't be in this profession. And if you couldn't take a few licks, right?” said Jepsen. “I go to work every day. But headaches are backaches. They go to work with financial pressures. They're used to the pressures of consumers, and how do they satisfy consumers? So, we know that they are strong, independent, self-sufficient persons. So, when you would come forth and say, do you have a problem? Would you like to talk about your problems? The first thing he says is like, thank you, you know, what are you really going to do to help us?”
When it comes to mental health, however, farmers say the stigmas are real and it’s not something most are willing to talk about.
“Pretty much conversations don't happen. It's… It's really sad,” said Herringshaw. “So, you know, in my previous life, when I was in the corporate world, things were bit more open about mental health and everything related to it. And there's a bit of pride and stubbornness in farmers, period. And you know, it kind of ties into that as well. Of course, there's a stigma that's been carried back for years.”
The Ohio Farm Bureau and the task force at Ohio State are working to break the stigma.
“it's okay to ask for help or just to, to vent your frustrations. Looking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength, a sign that you realize something's wrong, and you need to figure out how to fix it,” said Higgins.
Those organizations have come together to form the “Got Your Back” campaign— a call to action for people in the community to reach out to one another and check in.
