A strong majority of farmers and farmworkers say financial issues, farm or business problems and fear of losing the farm impact farmers’ mental health, according to a national Morning Consult research poll sponsored by AFBF in recognition of May as Mental Health Month. While some ways to manage stress are positive, others will obviously have a long-term negative impact.

With these pressures as a backdrop, there are clear signals to identify potential mental health crisis situations for farmers and ranchers, said Robin Tutor-Marcom, director of the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute. Read the May 22 Focus on Ag column for her list of signals to be on the lookout for.