Spring is on the way, and that means the busy season on farms large and small is about to begin. For farmers, the season brings excitement—but also stress that many people outside agriculture rarely see. I want to talk about a serious subject – mental health and farming. We’re a micro-farm and the work seems overwhelming sometimes, so it’s hard to grasp the scope of work and stress that large farmers likely feel each year as they prepare for the coming season. Planning alone is a herculean task. Farmers must consider money for seeds, equipment, and help, along with the weather, long hours, employees, harvesting, and much more. And, of course, there’s plenty to go wrong, adding stress to an already tenacious occupation. In fact, the American Farm Bureau Federation reports that more than 60% of people in farm families meet the criteria for depression, and farmers’ suicide rates are about 3.5 times higher than the general population. Stressors include financial stress, market instability, and isolation. Additionally, mental health resources are often less accessible in rural areas, and the stigma around counseling can make seeking help even harder. Self-care for busy farmers also doesn’t likely include time for yoga, long hot baths or summer vacations. People everywhere depend on farmers and we need to be mindful of our community’s larger farms and farmers – be patient as they drive their oversize equipment down country roads. Blowing your horn and ripping around them won’t help anyone. Smell manure? Try to appreciate that it’s part of real farming—and far better than chemical alternatives. Also, keep your 4-wheelers out of their fields. You know, be respectful and appreciate how farmers’ work benefits you later.
Our farm is a micro-farm, a family farm of about 10 acres total, so our goals are different, challenges are smaller, and our solutions to those challenges are unique as well. It’s also worth noting that we are retired from other careers, and that absolutely changes our perspectives on stress on the farm. For us, with our 200 or so fruit trees and blueberries, there’s a fair amount of time sensitive work that infuses a sense of urgency to our maintenance, but we still hold a very personal connection to our plants. Pruning can be and is a time for enjoying the cool spring days, spending quiet time thinking as we work, and appreciating our good fortune to be here in this time and place.
Planting our vegetables on schedule is another potential stressor for us, as well. We grow our veggies in a high tunnel greenhouse, cleaning and prepping now, in early March. The weather can be freezing or the sun through the plastic can feel like a tropical vacation. Gardening in the tunnel feels very personal. In fact, I’ve discovered that talking to my tomatoes benefits both the plants and me. Research (yep, look it up!) has shown that plants ‘hear’ through vibrations and respond, although the science behind this isn’t well understood yet. Intriguingly, research indicates that plants respond better to female voices. Having the idea that the plants are aware of our presence in the tunnel has been amazing for my own personal sense of connection to our farm, our plants, and nature in general.
Good mental health and nature are known to go hand in hand, and now, encouraged and validated by research, I freely talk to my plants, encouraging their growth and sharing whatever news, concerns, or thoughts might be running around in my head as I care for the plants. It’s hard to describe, but there are real, tangible benefits—and deep satisfaction—in growing, nurturing, and keeping plants healthy. I find that I’m not completing chores, I’m connecting with another living thing, feeling and caring for their wellbeing. Those feelings, my friends, are emotions that our world needs in abundance whether they’re for our plants, neighbors, or strangers we meet in passing. Growing your own vegetables and fruits can offer so many benefits – vine-ripened, organic, convenience, etc. and supporting our mental health is another, more complex, attribute of gardening.
As spring welcomes us, consider creating your own connection with nature by growing tomatoes, herbs, or even a single cucumber plant. It’s a practice you’ll grow to love. And keep farms and farmers—near and far—in mind as you enjoy your food. After all, every good harvest begins with someone caring for something growing.
