Why has mental health has become a leadership issue for agriculture and what will it take to make asking for help part of the job?

Resilience is one of agriculture’s most celebrated traits. It shows up in the way farmers and seed professionals absorb risk, adapt to shifting markets and keep showing up when the workday stretches long past daylight. It is embedded in family operations passed down through generations and in companies that survive downturns by staying disciplined and determined.

Growing up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, where the nearest town had a population of about 500 people, I have firsthand perspective on living in rural America. Rural communities are typically small and friendly — and the people are fiercely independent, yet quick to come together and help their neighbors in need. Over the years, however, I was aware that there was something going on in my small farming community that people kept hidden — a taboo topic. As I eventually discovered that there were people in my community who had a relative or a friend living with an untreated mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Yet, their struggles were met with silence because in this community — like in much of rural America — there was little information and few, if any, resources available.