Episode 322 - Understanding Farmer Stress: What to Watch For and How to Help - UMN Extension's The Moos Room — The Moos Room™

Brad and Emily reunite on the podcast to dive into an essential—and timely—topic: farmer mental health. With fall wrapping up and winter on the horizon, stressors on the farm shift and often intensify. Emily shares updates on her recent travels and outreach work in farm safety, health, and wellness, highlighting the seasonal rise in mental health–related concerns across rural communities.

Together, Brad and Emily walk through:

Why stress is so high right now — uncertainty in markets, weather, disease, economic pressure, and social isolation.
Common mental health concerns in farmers, including chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.
Key warning signs to watch for in yourself and others—physical symptoms, behavioral changes, and emotional red flags.
How to reach out when you're concerned about someone, and why it matters more than people realize.
Barriers rural residents face when accessing mental health care, including service shortages and stigma.
University of Minnesota Extension’s work supporting mental health, including training programs like COMET, resources on ambiguous loss, and broader regional efforts to make help more accessible.

Emily emphasizes that checking in, offering support, and connecting people to resources can make a meaningful difference. The episode wraps with reminders that it’s okay to not be okay—but it’s not okay to keep it to yourself. Brad and Emily also point listeners to a long list of mental health and farm stress resources in the show notes, including Emily’s recent appearance on RFD-TV discussing this very topic.

COMET: Changing our mental and emotional trajectory Training

Ambiguous loss and farming

UMN Extension Farm Safety and Health webpage

Minnesota Farm Stress resources

Farm Aid Farmer Resource Network

Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message!

Linkedin -> The Moos Room
Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety
Facebook -> @UMNDairy
YouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health
Instagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy
Extension Website
AgriAmerica Podcast Directory