By Dave Frederickson

At the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, we’re hearing a lot about stress on the farm these days.

It came up in a panel I sat on at FarmFest and got me thinking about how alike farmers are in the challenges we face, and in our reluctance to admit anything is other than “fine.”

I know this because a stoic Norwegian type such as myself would pretty much never want to admit that I was ever struggling in my life, but I was.

Dave Frederickson

It was in the '80s. I remember I was out combining — wheat, I think it was — and I got a horrible pain in my stomach that about doubled me over. I remember driving the combine home and calling the doctor, who said I should come in.

My wife, Kay, was away that day, so I got in the truck and drove myself to Benson. The doctor did a few tests and announced, “Well, Dave, what you have there is a stomach ulcer.”

He paused and then asked, “Are you internalizing some things?”

Another pause.

“What’s going on?”

Well, I broke down right there and then in his office.

I told him about my worries about cash flow, knowing full well it was going to be a stretch to make the yield and revenue goals I’d established for the year. I told him about watching the price per bushel of wheat and corn drop. About my struggles that year with weather conditions, weeds, prices and the stress of trying to make the right marketing decisions at the right time.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Talk to someone; get help
“We have medicines that can help you deal with that ulcer pain,” the doctor said. “And there are ways to help with all those other things, too.” I felt a huge sense of relief, first because I’d gotten those things off my chest, and second because I realized from what the doctor said that I was not alone.

And you know, he was right. The gut pain did get better. And in time, so did my ability to cope with all the other stresses, worries and burdens.

I felt better. Kay felt better. Everyone felt better.

We all want to be the tough guy or woman who bends and doesn’t break, but do you know that farming is an occupation with one of the highest rates of suicide? The amount of stress, anxiety and worry in our profession is enormous. We are responsible for so much, but we have control over so little.

I encourage you to do what I did and talk to someone you trust if you need to. Maybe it’s a doctor or a friend in the neighborhood, a clergy person or a farm advocate. Maybe it’s a regular visitor to your farm like the Farm Business Management instructor or the vet.

There is also a free and confidential 24-hour counseling service you can call. It’s called the Farm & Rural Help Line 833-600-2670 (toll-free). Save this article now, highlight that number and tape it to the fridge. The phone is answered by professional counselors who can help you get a load off your chest and begin to figure out who else might be in a position to help — whether the problems are financial, legal, emotional, physical, marital or family, alcohol or drug, or a combination of those things.

If my experience is anything to go by, just talking to someone can begin to help you feel better and think more clearly. Try it.

Frederickson is Minnesota’s commissioner of agriculture.