WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Kansas ranks last in the nation for providing rural mental health resources. Kansas Farm Bureau said farmers can be five times more susceptible to suicide compared to everyone else. Reasonings for mental health crises could be numerous reasons, including drought, farming expenses, and the price of fuel and machinery.
“All of these factors weigh into a farmer’s mental health,” said Steve McCloud, a Kansas farmer. “And then you couple that with a drought situation, which means yields are going to be negatively impacted. It really puts an agricultural producer in a catch 22.″
“When you think about 2% of people are farmers, and so that is a huge number,” said Meagan Cramer, Kansas Farm Bureau Communications Director
According to Cramer, studies have also shown that young farmers show higher levels of depression and suicidal thoughts than their older counterparts. Another factor is the lack of mental health resources in rural areas.
The Kansas Farm Bureau started the Rural Minds Matter program to help farmers with mental health issues. McCloud said he wants farmers to know that there are resources out there so that farmers do not have to battle mental health issues alone.
“I know it is difficult,” said McCloud. “A lot of us suffer from these issues. But reach out, don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
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