In a powerful and deeply personal episode of the Farm4Profit podcast, co-host Tanner Winterhof took on the critical but often overlooked topic of mental health in the agricultural community. The special May episode, deliberately timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, featured insights from mental health professionals at Purdue University Extension and sparked an important conversation about the unique stressors facing farmers.
Highlighting a Critical Issue
“May is mental health awareness month and that means a lot to this team,” Tanner Winterhof explained at the beginning of the episode. “We’re here to talk about things that aren’t easy to talk about.”
Throughout the podcast, Winterhof and his co-hosts Corey and David examined the alarming statistics surrounding mental health in agriculture, including the fact that farmers are five times more likely to die by suicide than people in other occupations. The Farm4Profit team incorporated insights from Angela Sorg and Abby Heidenreich from Purdue University Extension’s Strong Roots Program, which focuses on building resilience in agriculture.
The Agriculture-Specific Mental Health Crisis
Winterhof highlighted how the unique aspects of farming contribute to mental health challenges. The podcast explored Dr. Michael Roseman’s concept of the “agrarian imperative” – the idea that farmers’ identities are deeply intertwined with their land and livelihood in ways that other professions aren’t.
As one of the mental health experts explained during the episode: “When you cultivate the land, when you raise your livestock and that is a part of your family history, it is ingrained in your identity. If Purdue fired me tomorrow, I could go get another job… but if my father or my brother had to sell the farm tomorrow, there would be long lasting effects on the mental health, the family health.”
Winterhof reflected on this identity connection throughout the discussion, noting how farmers often define themselves through their work in ways that make professional setbacks feel like personal failures.
The Physical Impact of Farmer Stress
The Farm4Profit episode didn’t shy away from discussing how chronic stress manifests physically for farmers. Winterhof and his team explored how the high-stress environment of modern agriculture can lead to serious health conditions.
As the podcast highlighted, many farmers suffer from chronic illnesses like high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease – conditions that can often be traced back to prolonged exposure to high-stress environments. The episode even shared an anecdote about a meat producer whose surgeon could visually identify the effects of stress on his internal organs during an exploratory procedure.
“We handle our livestock in low stress environments because we know that high stress environments impact meat quality,” Winterhof noted, referencing a thought-provoking comparison made by one of the mental health experts. “When you think about it on us as humans kind of takes a little bit of a different meaning.”
Secondary Stress and Compassion Fatigue
One of the most insightful segments of Winterhof’s podcast explored the concept of secondary stress – the stress experienced by those who work with or support farmers through difficult times. This includes family members, agricultural service providers, and rural community members.
“I believe compassion fatigue is real. I’ve had it,” Winterhof admitted during the discussion. “Do you tell somebody something or make a suggestion and you tell ’em to do it two or three times and they don’t change and it’s kind of like, alright, I tried to help you… and is that a bad feeling? Then you start questioning whether you should feel that way.”
This candid acknowledgment from Winterhof highlighted the complex web of mental health challenges that extend beyond individual farmers to affect entire agricultural communities.
Breaking the Stigma
Perhaps the most important aspect of Winterhof’s podcast was its focus on breaking the stigma surrounding mental health help-seeking in rural communities. The episode addressed the “red truck theory” – the idea that farmers avoid seeking mental health support because everyone in small communities would recognize their vehicle parked outside a therapist’s office.
“We have a lot of small communities where you work in the agriculture industry… You can drive by the coffee shop and know exactly who’s in that coffee shop,” explained one of the experts. “The same thing happens when you drive past the hospital, the medical clinic or the therapist’s office.”
Winterhof’s willingness to address this stigma head-on represents an important step in normalizing mental health conversations in agricultural communities.
Resources and Support
In keeping with Farm4Profit’s practical approach, Winterhof ensured the episode included concrete resources for listeners who might be struggling. The podcast highlighted the 988 mental health crisis hotline and explained how the Purdue Extension team had created specialized agricultural training for the call center workers who respond to those calls.
“Nine-eight-eight replaces nine-one-one for mental health,” explained one of the experts. “In the past, if you called nine-one-one and said, ‘I’m experiencing a mental health crisis,’ you may get bells and whistles and police… Nine-eight-eight was meant to release that. It is a softer engagement.”
Winterhof also shared that the Strong Roots Program presenters are available to travel and deliver their presentation to agricultural organizations, cooperatives, and extension offices across the country.
A Personal Appeal
Winterhof concluded the episode with a heartfelt message to listeners who might be struggling: “We do appreciate you listeners, and if this can be anything to you, if you are feeling down, if you have had any of these thoughts, we care about you. We know that we ride with you every week in your pickup, your AirPods, your tractor, wherever you’re listening to us. If you’re milking cows, we get that and we appreciate that. So you matter to us and you matter to a lot of other people.”
He also offered the Farm4Profit team as a resource, providing their contact information and encouraging listeners to reach out: “If you feel like that’s you and you’ve got fear of the farm going away, do text us and call us. You’ve got three creative minds here that might be able to find a way to help you figure it out. It may not look like the way you’re doing it today, but it doesn’t mean you have to stop in any form or fashion.”
Expanding the Conversation
Through this significant episode, Tanner Winterhof has demonstrated Farm4Profit’s commitment to addressing all aspects of agricultural success – including the mental wellbeing of those working in the industry. By bringing the conversation about mental health in agriculture to his substantial audience, Winterhof is helping to normalize these discussions and encourage farmers to seek support when needed.
The episode represents a growing recognition within agricultural media that sustainable farming isn’t just about environmental and economic practices – it must also include sustainable approaches to farmer mental health and wellbeing. Through his platform, Winterhof continues to advocate for a holistic view of agricultural success that includes the personal wellbeing of those who feed the nation.
As Farm4Profit approaches the milestone of 500 episodes, Winterhof’s willingness to tackle difficult but essential topics like mental health demonstrates why the podcast has become such an influential voice in agricultural media.
