Field Notes talks about a topic no one wants to talk about

Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator and Meg Moynihan, Minnesota dairy farmer and Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s ‘farm stress’ lady

The following information was provided during the July 8, 2026 Strategic Farming: Field Notes session. Use your preferred podcasting platform or listen online to a podcast of this Field Notes session.

Times are tough: unique stressors on farms

Farming is a uniquely stressful profession. Fewer peers as each decade passes, high input prices, lower commodity prices, inflation and tariff impacts on costs of living, and weather and trade uncertainty have combined over the last couple of years to increase the stress among those working in this already stressful line of business.

Some of the physical signs of stress can include changes in appetite or weight, stomach/GI problems, poor sleep, teeth grinding, chest pain/palpitations, and changes in grooming habits. Folks living through a very stressful period can also show behavioral signs of stress including poor concentration, memory and decision-making skills, feeling anxious, sad, worried or irritated, loss of interest/withdrawal from people, hobbies and activities, personality changes and increased substance use (smoking, drinking, drug use). All of these physical and behavioral manifestations of stress can negatively impact one’s ability to work safely on the farm and impact both family dynamics and other relationships.

Consolidation

Recent generations have borne witness to the trend of fewer workers (farmers and their employees) farming much larger areas of land. Not so long ago, when farmers were still going into town to have coffee with their peers at the local co-op, grain elevator, breakfast nook or gas station, farming was a less lonely profession. As margins have decreased and folks have had to adopt economies of scale to stay on the farm, farmers (particularly those that live or work alone) interact with fewer folks on daily basis. While the majority of folks are likely farming crops ‘in the red’ this year, farmers that are now more isolated from one another may be under the mistaken impression that they are struggling because they did something wrong, rather than that both the entire industry is going through hard times and most of their farming friends and neighbors are also struggling.

Because land is a finite resource, in the race to compete for acres to rent, neighboring farmers in many instances are thought of as the ‘competition’ rather than peers.

Another modern trend is for farmers to also have off-farm employment, adding stress as timely field operations may sometimes need to take a back seat to the 9-5 job in town.

Heritage

 Those that do not live and work in farm-country might just wonder why farmers might be under more stress than every other Minnesotan that is also dealing with inflation caused by trade disruptions and global supply/demand trends.

The prohibitively high economic barriers to beginning farming means that the vast majority of farmers have taken over a farming operation that was built (in part or whole) by previous generations. The fact that there are centennial and sesquicentennial farms, or farms that are at least 100 and 150 years old, respectively, in Minnesota means that multiple preceding generations farmed much of the same land. This heritage, living where one works, and having one’s identity combined with the profession of farming puts additional pressure on farmers striving not to be the ‘generation that lost the farm’.

Uncertainty

In order to better understand one’s cost of production and save money through ag retailers’ discount programs, many crop production decisions are made in the fall just after the last crop has been harvested. However, decisions made 6 or more months in advance of the next crop is seeded may not age well. One need look no further to those that planned to grow crops such as sugarbeet, corn, small grains, potato, canola, grass seed or sunflower in 2026, but hadn’t yet pre-purchased the fuel or nitrogen needed to raise the crop. Supply chain disruptions related to an unforeseen war in Iran this spring meant that some were facing diesel fuel and nitrogen ‘sticker shocks’.

With the trend toward more variable weather, with inches of rain falling at a time over limited acreage surrounded by vast acres receiving significantly less rain than normal for months at a time, the ‘new weather normal’ is abnormal weather.

Folks can “do everything right” to set their crops and their operation up for success, but a poorly-timed supply chain disruption -such with crop protection products during the COVID-19 pandemic- or weather event can make all of the planning and effort related to raising a crop fall short.

It is ok to not be ok

Humans are inherently social creatures. We are the descendants of people that had to learn to live and work together for our communities to survive (and thrive). In the age of social media, we need to be reminded of the value to our spirits inherent in in-person communication.

Farm parents bring up their children to be responsible, hardworking, dependable and safe on the farm from a very young age. Parents do their best -taking cues from their own upbringing- to provide a solid foundation for their children. However, some of the ways that we interact with the world as adults is also due to society as a whole. Growing up and into adulthood, men in particular face additional pressure having received the societal message that they need to be inhumanly strong and that it is not ok to struggle or to not be ok. Every human being naturally has the full gamut of emotions, from happiness and contentment to anger or sadness, and all emotions are natural (regardless of one’s gender). Know that it is ok to not be ok. Also know that your fellow Minnesota taxpayers value you and the work you do, its impacts on the state’s economy and the food you produce. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota Extension have compiled resources to help folks to better cope with farm and rural stress.

Helpful resources paid for by fellow Minnesota taxpayers

While some help is available to assist folks experiencing a crisis related to farm and rural stress, other resources are available for more chronic situations.

Immediate, crisis resources:

·         National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

·         Throughout Minnesota: call **CRISIS ( or dial **274747)

·         Crisis Text Line: Text “MN” to 741741

·         Farm and rural helpline (available 24/7): 1-833-600-2670, ext. 1

Additional resources are available to assist with less immediate concerns:

·         Get your questions answered by UMN Extension folks through the Farm Information Line (fil@umn.edu, 21800-232-9077)

·         Find counseling, advocacy and legal and referral services to help you through difficult times

·         Learn more about mental health

·         Helping children cope

·         Parents and stress

·         Help with food, heat, electricity, health care, childcare, senior programs, etc. 

 

 

 Thanks to the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council for their support of this program.