Fall harvest is always a stressful time, but Emily Krekelberg fears that the growing season of 2024 may increase the level of anxiety to a dangerous level.

Acknowledging that there is not a single trigger of stress in agriculture, Krekelberg says “it’s a lot of compounding factors, and I do think that this year we are going to see a more unique combination of the stress people are experiencing,” noting a lot of that is brought on by the weather and climate.

In her more than 11 years as a University of Minnesota Extension educator in farm safety and health based in Rochester, Minn., she has learned that even though stress is unique to each individual, one of the first steps to handle it is to communicate.

“We all experience stress, and all farmers are experiencing some level of stress right now,” she says. “So, we really encourage folks that if you’re worried about something, just saying it out loud can be so helpful. Just getting that thought out, even if it’s just yelling at a tree, you’re at least getting a release.”

Write stuff

Although he goes to professional therapy in the winter, Adam Kuznia turns to the written word as his regular release, both of his own demons as well as a way to open up and get others talking about important issues. His Aug. 15 “Farming Full-Time” blog “Real Toll of Farming on Mental Health” took on the issue headfirst.

“I wrote this back in March,” he says. “I wrote it at a very dark time in my life. I’ve dealt with depression my whole life. As I get older, I can start to see when it’s coming up, like, ‘Sh!@, I’m going dark now.’”

Kuznia, co-founder and crop solutions adviser for Riopelle Seed Co. based in Argyle, Minn., writes from the heart, and sometimes emotions from the heart aren’t so clean. As he admits, “I’m kind of a vulgar guy.” But, then again, dealing with mental health in your heart and mind isn’t so neat and tidy either.

Vulgarities aside, Kuznia offers hope in that Aug. 15 blog. He explains how his grandfather expanded the farm in the 1970s, “maybe a little too much, and he lost it in the ‘80s when the farm economy got tough.”

Although his grandfather felt horrible about losing the farm, Kuznia says his grandfather didn’t let that setback define him. “It wasn’t the end of his life; he still went on and lived a fulfilling life.”

Kuznia himself has endured life’s hiccups, such as bankruptcy and divorce. “Life goes on after that," he says. "It doesn’t feel like it at the time, but it goes on. You just have to.”

Working with farmers on a regular basis, he acknowledges that it can be a hard message to get across to farmers “that you just have to push through. … Our dads taught us to bottle it up, suck it up. You’ve got to be tough. And their dads taught them that. And I don’t think that’s the right way. I think you need to talk to people.”

Changes in the rural landscape have resulted in a diminished community as Kuznia sees it, removing an audience farmers can lean on.

SUN KEEPS SHINING: Farming veterans realize that agriculture is cyclical — there are ups and downs. Adam Kuznia encourages his fellow farmers to remember: “Life goes on. … It doesn’t feel like it at the time, but it goes on. You just have to.”

“When I was a kid, everybody would be at the grain elevators or the gas stations. There was a bunch of old guys always visiting,” he says. “We don’t have that anymore. There’s no community. Nobody hangs out, partially because there’s no businesses left up here. Rural America is devastated. It’s easy for me to say, ‘Go talk to somebody,’ but who do you talk to?”

Just keep talking

As rural America’s support community dwindles, making individuals feel even more isolated, Krekelberg stresses the importance of continued communication. “We really encourage folks to talk about what they’re experiencing and check in with their neighbors,” she says. “Check in with other folks as well, and authentically ask them how they’re doing, and really pay attention to what’s going on with them.”

Krekelberg acknowledges that simple communication between neighbors can be therapeutic to get both parties really talking about life. “Ask them how they’re doing, and we’re good Minnesotans and Midwesterners, so we say, ‘Oh, I’m fine, I’m fine.’ But if they say that, just follow up and ask them, ‘How are you really?’ letting them know that you actually want to know how they’re doing.”

Once a sincere concern is expressed, that may be enough to open the gates for a deeper conversation. “In agriculture, we are fixers by nature, so when people start telling us what’s going on, we feel like they’re telling us because they want us to fix it,” Krekelberg says. “Most of the time, that’s not the case. If they want your help to fix it, they will say that. But if they’re just telling you to get it off their chest, just be a listener.”

Opening up about stress and mental health issues can be a delicate balance in not wanting to show weakness to family members, neighbors or clergy. On the flip side, everyone can listen, but what if an individual looks to you to fix their problems and you aren’t comfortable in that space? Knowing where to direct your friend or loved can get them on their road to recovery or understanding.

Help is available

A number of resources are available through the University of Minnesota Extension, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Mental Health Minnesota, just to name a few.

Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory training teaches participants how to reach out in a meaningful, respectful and supportive way to friends, co-workers or acquaintances who seem to be struggling somewhere between wellness and a mental health crisis.

The stress of the growing season can add more anxiety to a harvest season, so it’s always important to think safety first, and the UMES offers a plethora of information.

UMES also acknowledges that managing stress begins with self-care and offers various ways to control anxieties.

Knowing where to reach out in difficult times can be a big first step, and the UMES offers a page dedicated to coping with rural stress.

In addition to the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline, available by calling 833-600-2670, texting FARMSTRESS to 898211 or emailing [email protected], the Minnesota Department of Agriculture provides a webpage called “Coping with Farm & Rural Stress” that offers resources.

Mental Health Minnesota, founded in 1939, offers free, confidential and anonymous services to individuals who are struggling.