Cultivating Capes' Farmers's Mental Health With New State Program

Scarce days off, low pay and relying on the mercy of Mother Nature make the agricultural community vulnerable to mental health challenges. Now, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is rolling out  Peer Support Network – because no one understands farmers better than farmers.

Do farmers have high suicide rates?

3 August 2024 - TRURO, MA - David DeWitt has been a farmer in Truro for almost four decades. He has weathered storms, increasingly severe and frequent, and emotional roller coasters, and knows firsthand about the challenges farming brings. "It's a well known fact that farmers have some of the highest suicide rates in our country," said DeWitt.

Why is farming on Cape Cod hard?

Cape Cod is unique in many ways, making farming here especially challenging. Poor nutrient soil and unpredictable weather including drought, flooding, deep freeze and severe storms make it difficult to plan for next years' crops. Losing your job as a farmer often means losing the family legacy passed on to you from generations and if that happens, many can't bear the shame, added DeWitt.

Cape Cod's aging population adds to the challenge.  With a big portion of the community older than 59, many farms find themselves navigatinga generational shift, bringing its own stressors on top of what nature and the markeplace dole out.

What can improve farmers' mental health?

The stereotypical farmer, especially the older generation, may be a loner and not very prone to talk about feelings such as anxiety and depression. But farmers do talk to each other about their farms - which is why the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources launched the Peer Support Network in April. As a part of their MassGrown Wellness program, the initiative trains farmers to support their peers and look for signs and cues of mental health concerns.

Ashley Randle, MDAR Commissioner, hopes this support model will be successful for Massachusetts' farmers. Twelve farmers have gone through the trainings;  "Now they're able to work with farmers whenever a farmer calls and says I'm really having a stressful day or I'm going through a difficult time at the farm, can I talk to someone," said Commissioner Randle.

Are oyster farmers isolated?

There are 349 land farmers on Cape Cod and 241 aquaculture farms in Massachusetts with most of them on Cape Cod. One of the latter is owned by Curtis Graham in Wellfleet. He started growing oysters to ensure a high quality for his restaurant BlackFish about nine years ago.

He says that while the oyster farm may be good for his own overall mental health,  he recognizes that may not be the case for everyone. "It's easy to get lost out here. Visions of grandeur is always there. You think you're going to be a millionaire," he said. "But the more you grow the more work you create."

Curtis thinks the new program could help some folks clear their heads when needed – himself included. "I bet if there were times when I felt challenged it would be good to talk to somebody about it."