Breaking the silence: Understanding stigma in farming and mental health

The narrative in agriculture is evolving. Caring for the land, animals, and equipment has always come first; now farmer well-being belongs on that list.

For centuries, the culture in agriculture has valued resilience, self-reliance, and hard work. These are important qualities that have built our farms and fed our world.

Yet these same values have, unintentionally, helped create one of the biggest barriers to farmer mental health: stigma. Stigma shows up as silence, hesitation, fear and shame, making farmers feel they must carry their struggles alone rather than reach out for support.

Decades in the making
The roots of those feelings – fear and shame towards mental health in agriculture stretch back decades, woven into the history of rural life. Farmers have been expected to endure hardship quietly, whether it was a drought, market crash, or a barn fire.

Generations grew up hearing phrases like “tough it out” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Asking for help, especially for mental or emotional struggles, was often seen as a weakness that could tarnish a family’s reputation or cause the community to question a farmer’s ability to manage their operation.

Even the most tragic situations were spoken about in hushed tones. In many rural areas, the whisper of suicide was exactly that: a whisper. Families grieving such losses would face heartbreak and silence. Causes of death might be softened or not discussed openly, reinforcing the message that these topics are shameful and therefore should remain private.