Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller—usually better known for Facebook rants and rodeo politics—actually raised a serious point this month: farmers and ranchers are dying by suicide at three times the national average, second only to veterans. Turns out “multi-generation family legacy plus bank loans plus drought” isn’t exactly a recipe for good mental health. Who knew?
Miller says the problem is often invisible—farmers don’t exactly wave a white flag when stressed. Instead, they just keep working until isolation and financial pressure push them past the edge. To tackle this, the Department of Agriculture is promoting the AgriStress Helpline, a resource that actually understands farm-specific struggles. Unlike the national 988 line, Miller says his team offers follow-up calls “until we know they’re out of the woods.”
It’s a grim but important reminder that rural self-reliance sometimes hides suffering, and the people who feed us often don’t have anyone feeding them hope.
So yes, Sid Miller said something useful for once. Maybe next he’ll remind us water is wet and farming is hard.
