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<\/p>\nFacing relentless stress in agriculture, Idaho rancher Spencer Black\u2019s story underscores a mental health crisis among farmers<\/p>\n
ALMO, Idaho \u2014 For Idaho rancher Spencer Black, stress has long been part of life in agriculture.<\/p>\n
Between unpredictable weather, unstable markets and the constant demands of running a ranch, Black says the pressure can feel relentless.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just so many variables in agriculture,\u201d Black said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got price right now, you\u2019ve got drought.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Over time, he says, that pressure became emotionally isolating.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just something in you that it feels like it all falls on you,\u201d Black said. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on in your head, it just feels lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n Mental health advocates say Black\u2019s experience reflects a growing crisis in agriculture.<\/p>\n Anna Lickley with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture says more farmers and ranchers are reporting symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting to the point now where 60% of farmers and ranchers are experiencing medically accepted criteria for depression,\u201d Lickley said. \u201cAgriculture has the fourth-highest suicide rate of any industry.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSevere stress on the farm is not normal, and it\u2019s not something that we should just tolerate,\u201d she said. \u201cWe look at our ancestors and how hard they worked, and we think that we need to also struggle that much.\u201d<\/p>\n For Black, one of the hardest periods came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when cattle prices dropped sharply and financial uncertainty mounted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt got bleak there for a little bit,\u201d Black said. \u201cThings were tight. We didn\u2019t know if we wanted to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cLearning the news about my kid, that kind of wrecked me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was tough there emotionally for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n As stress continued building, Black said it began affecting his relationships at home.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t being the dad that I wanted to be,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t being the husband that I wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, after months of conversations with his wife, Black decided to seek therapy \u2014 something he says did not come easily.<\/p>\n \u201cThat step was not easy for me to take,\u201d Black said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just I woke up one day and decided to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Black said talking with a therapist gave him a perspective he had lost while buried in stress and responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew nothing about agriculture, and to me that was a breath of fresh air,\u201d he said. \u201cShe would say things as simple as, \u2018You have a cool life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That reminder, he said, helped him recognize the value in the life he had worked to build.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to know that they\u2019re not alone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Black will share his experience at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture\u2019s\u00a0\u201cBuck the Trend\u201d training Nov. 13-15 in Twin Falls<\/a>. The event focuses on mental health challenges in agriculture and encourages farmers and ranchers to seek help when they need it.<\/p>\n
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\n Inside Ag: Idaho farmers and ranchers struggle with mental health
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