Farmers dealing with chronic stress now have 24-hour national crisis line
Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick says financial burdens, isolation affecting farmers
WARNING: This article contains mention of suicide and suicidal ideation.
You can find a variety of things on a New Brunswick farm: potatoes, cows and a tractor, for instance — and more stress than you might think.
A recently launched crisis line aimed at Canadian farmers is a much-needed resource, according to a New Brunswick group.
Anxiety, depression and chronic stress are just some of the things farmers are experiencing, Victoria Hutt, the mental health and farm safety co-ordinator with the Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick, said.
"A little bit of stress is fine and often it pushes us, you know, not all stress is bad," said Hutt, who works with Farm Talk Care, a farmer wellness and peer support program.
"But farmers are operating under chronic stress, and … it is impacting their health, it's impacting their mental health, and it's impacting their day to day ... relationships and work."
A group called the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing recently launched a 24/7 National Farmer Crisis Line, which Hutt said is operated by professionals specifically trained in farm stress.
They can provide immediate help by offering coping strategies, one-off counselling sessions or just listening — all at no charge.
Hutt said farms are becoming larger and fewer in numbers, and farm families are becoming smaller, leading to isolation.
And there's the ever-increasing financial burden of farming.
"I hear from farmers who are, you know, there's a concern that there's going to be no one who wants to take on the farm," she said.
But she also hears from farmers who are worried their children will take on the farm because they know that it can be "a heavy mental load."
She said farmers have always had to deal with long hours, heavy physical workloads and machinery breakdowns, but there are also a lot challenges on the business side, such as implementing new technology into the current workflow.
And then there's the unpredictability of farming.
"Your job or mine, it doesn't necessarily get as highly impacted by the weather," Hutt said. "The weather doesn't impact our bottom line."
Risk of suicide
Suicidal ideation is two times higher among farmers than it is in the general population, according to a study of nearly 1,200 Canadian farmers conducted by the University of Guelph between February and May 2021.
One in four surveyed felt their life was not worth living, wished they were dead or thought about taking their own life in the 12 months leading up to being surveyed, the results said.
"Everybody in agriculture is not surprised at these statistics," Hutt said.
She hopes the new national hotline will allow farmers to feel heard. But at the same time, she said it doesn't necessarily have to be a professional crisis worker that someone opens up to, if a person isn't ready to call a crisis line.
"A lot of people are suffering in silence," she said.
"Talking to someone is better than talking to no one."
If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help:
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National Farmer Crisis Line: Call 1-866-FARMS01.
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Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
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Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
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This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.
With files from Information Morning Fredericton, Moncton
