National Farmers Union recognizes that farming is a stressful line of work, and far too often, our communities don't have adequate resources to meet the mental health needs for farm families.

Working with a variety of organizations, NFU is proud to have a variety of resources available to our members and their families to help mitigate farm stress and tackle the mental health crisis that's happening across the country.

Included on this page are a variety of resources that we encourage our members to utilize and share with anyone who may find them useful.

Farming is a stressful job, even in good times, but you’re not alone. NFU is proud to partner with Farm Foundation and others to provide free, anonymous mental health support to those who need it.

Farm Family Wellness Alliance mental health and wellness services are provided through a multi-layer approach. The first layer is an online community called Togetherall. There you will find a broad array of peer-to-peer support and a library of self-paced resources. If needed, an additional layer of support is available through Personal Assistance Services (PAS).

The First Layer: Togetherall

Togetherall is a safe peer-to-peer online support community that is available 24/7 and is completely anonymous, so you can express yourself freely and openly. Licensed and registered mental health clinicians, called Wall Guides, monitor the community to ensure the safety and anonymity of all members.

Farmers and their family members can also participate in an Agriculture-specific sub-group for those who want to connect around the specific stresses unique to the industry

The Second Layer: Personal Assistance Services (PAS)

In addition to Togetherall’s online community, you will have access to many useful resources and can work through tailored self-help courses covering topics such as anxiety, sleep, depression, and many more. Togetherall can also refer and connect farm families to a suite of services provided by PAS for farm families who are seeking additional support.

Families can access one-on-one coaching and counseling, including counseling sessions to help manage anxiety, depression, stress, substance use, and more. PAS has many other resources to support a wide variety of life needs. Resource and coaching services include health and nutrition, tobacco cessation, organization and time management, education, career and retirement planning, childcare and elder care resources, and more!

Even in the best of times, farming can be an incredibly high-stress occupation. Unpredictable weather, crop disease, volatile markets, heavy workloads, and social isolation are just a handful of the challenges that farmers may face. But between persistently low prices, climate change, and trade uncertainty, times have been particularly tough in farm country – and it’s taking a toll on farmers’ mental wellbeing.

While farmers experience higher levels of psychological distress and depression than the general population, they are less likely to seek help for mental health issues. Even for those who do seek help, resources may not be readily available, as 60 percent of rural Americans live in areas with mental health professional shortages.

Recognizing these immense challenges, National Farmers Union (NFU) is partnering with Farm Credit and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) to help family members, friends, and neighbors address the farm stress crisis in their own communities. In this free online training, participants will learn to:

• Understand sources of stress
• Recognize warning signs of stress and suicide
• Identify effective communication strategies
• Reduce stigma related to mental health concerns
• Connect farmers and ranchers with appropriate mental health and other resources

This course is available to all Farmers Union members and employees at no cost.

Mental health issues and substance use disorders sometimes occur together, and they share some underlying causes. Farmers Union and Farm Bureau  worked together to bring attention to the opioid epidemic in farm country and provide information and resources to help people struggling with addiction. The Farm Town Strong campaign has had a significant impact in reducing stigma and influencing public opinion about opioid addiction in rural America.

To learn more about that initiative, along with a host of resources that are part of Farm Bureau's Farm State of Mind library, visit the link below.