Our Phones Are Ringing Constantly': Therapists Describe Mental Health Toll On Minnesota Farmers

Our Phones Are Ringing Constantly': Therapists Describe Mental Health Toll On Minnesota Farmers

The suicide rate for men living on Minnesota farms is three times higher than for those who don't. A state program staffed by two professionals offers a lifeline.

ST PAUL, Minn. — For years, Minnesota's Farm and Rural Helpline has offered a unique outlet for farmers and ranchers across the state who are dealing with mounting stress, anxiety and other mental health struggles.

The Helpline offers three options for reaching out: a phone call, text or email; but it's largely on just two mental health professionals to respond to those calls.

"We travel the state, we go where they are and we address issues that are basically farm-related," said Ted Matthews, one of the two rural mental health specialists certified by the state. "We are there and we are available. We are also very well trained."

For years, Matthews was the only person who handled those calls. Then, in 2019, the state brought on another counselor, Monica McConkey, to help handle a deepening crisis.

According to state data, the suicide rate among men and women living on Minnesota farms and ranches was much higher than for everyone else in the state.

"In years when things are bad financially, whether it's due to extreme weather or commodity prices, we tend to see those rates spike," McConkey said.

According to the two most recent years of data, in 2021 and 2022, the troubles have continued to mount. The suicide rate among male Farm Residents in Minnesota exceeded 60 per 100k residents, roughly three times the rate for other Minnesota men.

"Even though we hear these things, to see sheer numbers was really a shock," said McConkey, who addressed the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee on Monday.

Though farmer suicide rates have yet to be calculated for 2023 and 2024, McConkey says she's concerned by the spike in calls she has received in the past few months.

"They kind of started to build last year," she said. "We're heading into a really difficult growing season when you look at commodity prices, and so what I'm hearing from the farmers I work with are already things like, 'I don't know how I'm going to do it.'"

Add in the continued impact of severe weather, the bird flu on livestock and all of the recent political turmoil surrounding tariffs and federal funding cuts and it's not hard to understand why concern is rising.

"I just had a call with a farmer now, that, through a few different federal grants, he had ordered a new air seeder," McConkey said. "It's a significant, significant cost. It's being shipped, right now, and at the same time he's wondering, 'Are these federal funds going to come through?'"

McConkey also shared an email, from a farmer who recently reached out for the first time, despite admitting that he had been struggling with mental health for years.

"(In the email) he says, 'I would say the last ten or so years, farming has been more difficult for me than any of the other years before. I've always thought of myself as being more optimistic in the past, but in these last few years I feel more uncertain of the future," said McClinkey, as she read from the email. "This is just kind of a snapshot of a lot of what we see."

It's also just one of roughly 650 emails and calls she received last year.

Multiply that by two, and you begin to understand what she and Matthews are up against.

"We don't have time and that's the truth," Matthews said, when asked about the potential of responding to calls outside of farms. "We are really, really booked. The issues right now are so immense that our phones are ringing constantly, and to go out and do more would be impossible for us."

If you are a Minnesota farmer, rancher or employee and are having trouble navigating the stress of financial problems, price and marketing uncertainties, farm transfer issues, production challenges, marital difficulties, and social pressures, there are people and organizations available to help.

Help with Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Feeling Stuck, and Crisis Situations

Contact information for Agricultural Mental Health Specialists, Mobile Crisis Teams, and more

Help with Daily Living

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

Business, Financial and Legal Help

Help with business and legal problems

If you need help figuring out who to contact, call us at 833-600-2670, or use TTY at 711.

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If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there is help available from the following resources:

• Crisis Text Line – text “MN” to 741741 (standard data and text rates apply)
• Crisis Phone Number in your Minnesota county
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, Talk to Someone Now
• Throughout Minnesota call **CRISIS (**274747)
• The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386

SOURCE: KARE 11