Healthy farms need healthy farmers
MFA Foundation supports rural mental health resources through MU’s Show-Me Strong Farm Families
A four-year grant awarded by the foundation in 2023 is is helping the program expand teletherapy sessions, increase educational resources and develop a statewide mental health awareness campaign targeted to farmers and rural residents.
In agriculture, there’s no shortage of worries, from external forces such as weather, markets, trade and regulations to more personal stress that may involve finances, family, succession and legacy.
And planting season—coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month in May—is one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year for farmers.
Those pressures, along with an inherent self-reliance and independence, are among the reasons farmers and ranchers increasingly struggle with mental health. Factors such as transportation, cost and stigma create barriers to getting treatment, and the results can be dire. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association.
When they finally do seek help, however, rural areas often do not have enough access to providers, services and resources. This is especially true in Missouri, where all 99 of the state’s rural counties have been designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas by the Health Resources and Services Administration
The MFA Foundation is providing funding to help address these challenges through the University of Missouri Extension’s “Show-Me Strong Farm Families” mental health initiative. A four-year grant awarded by the foundation in 2023 is helping the program expand teletherapy sessions, increase educational resources and develop a statewide mental health awareness campaign targeted to farmers and rural residents.
Through the Show-Me Strong Farm Families program, MU Extension and partners such as MFA are working to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, make referrals for telehealth counseling, and advocate for polices that support Missourians affected by stress, anxiety and mental illness.
The Show-Me Strong Farm Families website offers a wealth of resources for the public and professionals, including a comprehensive Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit (pdf). Requests for free, confidential telehealth counseling by a trusted professional who understands agriculture can be made by visiting
muext.us/PSCFarmRanch, emailing adpsc@missouri.edu or calling 573-882-4677.