Farm Stress in Times of COVID-19

Farming is often described as a calling or a vocation. Indeed, for most farmers and their family, farming is much more than an occupation or a business. In Pennsylvania, farm families own over 88% of farms. For them, family life and business are intimately connected. It is literally a family affair. Farming has long been recognized as a highly stressful activity. Even before the current pandemic, long working hours, early mornings, physically demanding tasks, coupled with market fluctuations, weather conditions contributed to the chronic stress experienced by farm families affecting both their physical and mental health. Farming families are at increased risk of physical injuries due to the nature of farming activities. Following an injury, opioid painkillers are often prescribed and opioid use to manage the pain may lead to substance misuse. 75% of American farmers report being directly affected by opioid misuse, either themselves or within their family or community. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety can also increase both the risk of injury and the risk of substance misuse. Suicide rates among farmers are twice as high as in the general population.

 

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, market instability, supply and demand chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and overall loss of income have added even more burden to the farming community. It is important to recognize that farm stress not only affects farmers themselves but can also strain interpersonal relationships and the whole family, including children and youth.

 

Asking for help can be difficult. Talking about mental health still carries a significant stigma among the general population and maybe more so in the farm communities. Moreover, the lack of health insurance and other benefits (in the absence of an off-farm employment) can add another level of stress and often explains why farmers delay or are reluctant to seek professional help. However, there is a lot that we all, as part of the rural and farming communities, can do to help mitigate the impact of farm stress and support the mental wellbeing of farm families.

 

 

Learn to recognize the warning signs of stress, in yourself. and in others. Notice changes in emotions and personality: loss of motivation, loss of humor, excessive worrying, sadness, depression, negative thinking, self-criticism, impatience, anger, difficulty concentrating and decision-making, excessive or poor sleep. People under stress might also resort to using negative coping strategies such as alcohol or drug use. Recognize changes in behaviors such as losing interest in activities they used to enjoy and withdrawal from people, missing social meetings with friends and family or professional meetings with staff, clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders. On the farm, pay attention to signs such as reduced care given to animals, to machinery or fields, or maybe there has been an increase in accidents and injuries. You can observe physical changes such as weight loss or gain, unkempt appearance, and poor hygiene. Physical symptoms of stress can also include headaches, clenching or grinding teeth, stomach aches, abdominal discomfort, chest pain, and prolonged illness.

 

 

Use active listening: this requires the listener to fully concentrate, understand, respond, and remember what is being said. Active listening implies restraining from all forms of judgment. This can be difficult and requires active efforts and practice. Effective active listening can help individuals to feel heard, understood, valued, and respected. Sometimes, although not always, feeling heard and accepted is all a person needs to get through a difficult period. Remember that silence is powerful. It gives people the opportunity to gather their thoughts and put complicated feelings into words. Finally, choose open-ended questions to create an opportunity for discussion.

 

Try empathy instead of sympathy: When we simply feel sorry for someone’s situation or feelings, we are expressing sympathy or compassion. Sympathy is not helpful for the person receiving it. Empathy on the other hand is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand their feelings as if you were experiencing them yourself. This requires making the effort to really try and understand what the person is going through. Empathy demands staying away from judgment. In other words, empathy is feeling with, rather than feeling for. Showing empathy is a choice and can be a difficult one. We all have a natural tendency to want to “fix” the issue or bring out the silver lining. Empathy is accepting their perspective and current feelings as the truth.

 

While little can be done at the individual level to counteract extraordinary stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, there are many ways for each of us to support farmer families during these challenging times. Penn State Extension provides resources and promotes farm stress educational programming through workshops such as Mental Health First Aid for Adults.