Four ccs of Micotil was Maddie Caldwell’s answer to the suicidal thoughts that had taken over her life at age 22. It was her second attempt to die by suicide, and she went on have three seizures on the way to the hospital. Thankfully, she is healthy now and wants to help “get one person to feel a little less alone.”

Farm safety and personal health go together. The ability to stay safe impacts health; the ability to stay healthy impacts safety.

The phrase “mental health” is becoming more talked about in the agriculture industry, but it’s still a subject that often leads to feelings of discomfort and embarrassment.

In my 30-plus years of working with farm families, the negative effects of farm distress on behavioral well-being and brain health have become quite apparent.

It’s no surprise that farmers’ behavioral health is positively correlated with crop production and healthy animals.

In 2016, the CDC published data on suicide rates by occupation from 2012 to 2015. It was one of only a few articles that attempted to summarize suicide rates by occupation. This data showed that farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers had a suicide rate higher than the general population.

We are all familiar with the common stressors in agriculture. It’s easy to point to price swings, government regulations, land competition, weather and disease when we talk about stress on the farm.