As September Suicide Prevention Awareness Month continues, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, discusses a commonly overlooked crisis within the ag industry.
Commissioner Miller addressed the rising mental health toll on agricultural workers, warning that suicide rates among farmers and ranchers are three times higher than the national average. A grim statistic second only to that of military veterans.
“The reason farmers have such a high rate, that’s kind of surprising to a lot of people,” Miller said in a Zoom interview. “You take a multi-generation farmer… he’s got the weight of the family legacy, the bank’s calling in loans, he can’t afford to plant a crop, he runs out of options. So they end up taking their own life.”
Miller emphasized that mental illness in rural communities can be hard to detect. Many farmers continue working through the stress, their pain masked by long hours and isolation. In communities where self-reliance is a core value, asking for help can feel like failure. “Maybe they quit going to church, quit socializing,” he said. “There are signs, but we have to be looking for them.”
Recognizing that national suicide hotlines often don’t understand the unique pressures faced by farmers, the Texas Department of Agriculture is promoting a dedicated resource: the AgriStress Helpline.
“Rather than have them call 988, where they don’t really know what programs USDA or the Texas Department of Agriculture offer… we have our own line,” Miller said. “We get them healthy, and then we give them hope.”
What sets the AgriStress line apart, according to Miller, is its personalized follow-up care. “My people call them back the next day, and the next day, and the next. Until we know they’re out of the woods.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the AgriStress Hotline at 833-897-2474.
