NORTHERN MICHGAN., (WPBN/WGTU) – – Michigan State University Extension offers mental health resources for farmers.

But now, these resources could be in jeopardy.

“It’s really in a crisis situation,” Dr. Remington Rice, Managing Farm Stress Program.

Dr. Remington Rice comes from a long line of Benzie County farmers.

He’s also the son of a therapist.

“I was looking for work and I saw this was an interesting intersection of my personal and professional life,” Dr. Rice.

Dr. Rice leads Michigan’s Managing Farm Stress Program.

UpNorthLive first spoke to him in 2023 as part of his mission to bring awareness to a topic that two years later is still difficult for some to talk about.

“Still less than 10 percent of farmers would feel comfortable asking for help. They’ll be the first ones to offer help or if you ask a farmer for help, they are incredible problem solvers, but they don’t treat themselves in the same way,” said Dr. Rice.

The latest data shows the suicide rate among farmers is 3.5 times higher than the general population.

It’s a job where you’re on call 24/7.

“The farm becomes part of your identity that you know farming is often described as more of a way of life, not just an occupation, not just a job. And so, when something threatens that farm that can be seen or felt as a threat against yourself,” said Dr. Rice.

Dr. Rice explains farmers today face different financial and emotional challenges than their parents or grandparents did.

According to the USDA, total U.S. farm debt grew to nearly $592 billion in 2025.

“Grandpa was able to make the farm work. Why am I now failing today?” said Dr. Rice.

In a documentary released earlier this month, five farmers across Michigan shared their stories with the MSU Extension program to encourage other farmers to seek support services for the unique challenges they face.

“I’ve heard from farmers that our counseling services have saved their life, has saved their farm, saved their relationships with their spouses and their kids,” said Dr. Rice.

But these services could be limited.

The most recent state budget proposal doesn’t set aside funds for these prevention efforts.

Which is a loss of 56 percent of the program’s total funding.

“We have been able to over the past four years pay for over 550 counseling sessions with Michigan farmers. We don’t know what how that is going to shake out or not, but we may need to begin rationing those,” said Dr. Rice.

There are 44,000 farms across Michigan and the program has shared mental health resources with more than 10,000 of them; an initiative they’d like to see continue.

“We all face stress in our day-to-day life and just being open about that with the people that we trust I think is a way that we can all normalize these types of conversations,” said Dr. Rice.

Dr. Rice says if the program has to cut costs, farmers would still be referred for counseling services, but they would have to pay for it out of pocket.