Inside AG: Idaho farmers and ranchers struggle with mental health

Facing relentless stress in agriculture, Idaho rancher Spencer Black’s story underscores a mental health crisis among farmers

ALMO, Idaho — For Idaho rancher Spencer Black, stress has long been part of life in agriculture.

Between unpredictable weather, unstable markets and the constant demands of running a ranch, Black says the pressure can feel relentless.

“There’s just so many variables in agriculture,” Black said. “You’ve got price right now, you’ve got drought.”

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Over time, he says, that pressure became emotionally isolating.

“There’s just something in you that it feels like it all falls on you,” Black said. “What’s going on in your head, it just feels lonely.”

Mental health advocates say Black’s experience reflects a growing crisis in agriculture.

Anna Lickley with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture says more farmers and ranchers are reporting symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion.

“We’re getting to the point now where 60% of farmers and ranchers are experiencing medically accepted criteria for depression,” Lickley said. “Agriculture has the fourth-highest suicide rate of any industry.”

Lickley said many in agriculture were raised believing stress and hardship are simply part of the job, making it harder for people to seek help.

“Severe stress on the farm is not normal, and it’s not something that we should just tolerate,” she said. “We look at our ancestors and how hard they worked, and we think that we need to also struggle that much.”

For Black, one of the hardest periods came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when cattle prices dropped sharply and financial uncertainty mounted.

“It got bleak there for a little bit,” Black said. “Things were tight. We didn’t know if we wanted to keep going.”

At the same time, Black and his family were dealing with another emotional burden after learning his child had been diagnosed with a medical condition.

“Learning the news about my kid, that kind of wrecked me,” he said. “It was tough there emotionally for a while.”

As stress continued building, Black said it began affecting his relationships at home.

“I wasn’t being the dad that I wanted to be,” he said. “I wasn’t being the husband that I wanted to be.”

Eventually, after months of conversations with his wife, Black decided to seek therapy — something he says did not come easily.

“That step was not easy for me to take,” Black said. “It wasn’t just I woke up one day and decided to do it.”

Black said talking with a therapist gave him a perspective he had lost while buried in stress and responsibility.

“She knew nothing about agriculture, and to me that was a breath of fresh air,” he said. “She would say things as simple as, ‘You have a cool life.’”

That reminder, he said, helped him recognize the value in the life he had worked to build.

Mental health resources in agriculture have expanded in recent years as farm organizations, state agencies and advocacy groups work to reduce stigma and encourage people to seek support earlier.

Black says he still considers himself a work in progress but believes sharing his story matters because too many farmers and ranchers suffer in silence.

“They need to know that they’re not alone,” he said.

Black will share his experience at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s “Buck the Trend” training Nov. 13-15 in Twin Falls. The event focuses on mental health challenges in agriculture and encourages farmers and ranchers to seek help when they need it.

More information about the training and mental health resources for farmers and ranchers is available through the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Center: ISDA Farm and Ranch Center