Articles

Resources to Support Mental and Financial Well-being in Agriculture

A summary of resources available to help farmers, farm workers, and their families navigate mental health challenges, and also financial and legal difficulties that are often interconnected.

Save for later Print Available in Spanish

Updated:

October 14, 2024

Skip to the end of the images gallery

Sunset and a Farm. Photo credit. Christian Collins

Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

Agriculture has always been complex and unpredictable for farmers, farm workers, and their families. They must wrestle with a multitude of factors at any given time, including weather, input and commodity prices, equipment breakdowns, relationships with people, etc. all impacting what gets produced, how much of it, and how much income is generated. As a result, agriculture ranks as one of the most stressful occupations and one that experiences some of the highest suicide rates (Arif et al., 2021; Daghagh Yazd et al., 2019; Lunner Kolstrup et al., 2013). To help the agricultural community, several organizations inside and outside of agriculture provide resources to help with mental health challenges, but also financial and legal difficulties as they are often interconnected.

This article provides a summary of three types of resources available in Pennsylvania and beyond:

Resources to learn more about mental well-being and strategies to navigate challenging times;
Resources to access help and reduce the cost of that help, including from mental health professionals;
Resources to help navigate financial and legal challenges on the farm and at home.

For each of the resources, we included the target audience and the language it is offered in. This list is current as of October 2024. If we have missed important resources, please do not hesitate to contact us (ffb5072@psu.edu or 814-865-1783).

Resources to learn more about mental well-being and strategies to navigate challenging times

The following resources offer information and training around maintaining overall health and well-being, as well as recognizing and addressing the signs of mental health challenges (stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation).

Table 1. Resources Available for Mental Health
Offered by	Description	Target audience	Language
Penn State Extension	Articles (Know the Signs, Ask a Question, Save a Life), trainings (Mental Health First Aid, Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR), and a podcast (Farm Stress Real Talk) Contact: Ginger Fenton Phone: 724-662-3141 Farm Stress team website	Farmers and farm workers	English
Penn State Extension	Article: Tools for stress management in agriculture (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) Contact name: Suzanna Windon Phone: 814-863-3825 Email: sxk75@psu.edu	Farmers and farm workers	English, Spanish
Penn State Extension	Communicating With Farmers Under Stress workshop Phone: 724-300-1728 Farm Stress Team website	Agriculture industry professionals, veterinarians, loan officers, family members, and others who interact directly with farmers on a regular basis	English
Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence	Collated list of resources available from a wide range of organizations across the country Phone: 717-346-0849	Farmers and farm workers	English
PA Farm Link and Northeast Extension Risk Management Education	Information flyer (Healthy Farms Healthy Minds) Phone: 717-705-2121 Email: farmland@pafarmlink.org	Farmers and farm workers	English
South Dakota State University	Information to talk with teens and to help children during challenging times and help them cope with and understand family stressors Farm and Ranch Stress Program website	Farmers and farm workers raising children	English
The National Center for Farmworker Health	Mental Health Resource Hub: includes a wide range of resources Phone: 512-312-2700	Farm workers, Farm employers	English, Spanish
Cultivemos	Training programs and workshops, outreach services, peer groups, podcast about farm stress	Farmers and farm workers	English, Spanish

Resources to access help and reduce the cost of that help, including from mental health professionals.

The following resources offer support to people facing mental health challenges by increasing access to care. The list includes helplines and healthcare providers who are familiar with agriculture. Because high health insurance and health care costs are a common barrier to seeking care, the following also includes resources to help reduce the cost.

Table 2. Resources available to help and reduce the cost of that help.
Offered by	Description	Target audience	Language
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture	AgriStress HelpLine: Free and confidential 24/7 support helpline answered by counselors who are culturally competent regarding agriculture and can offer support in finding mental health and local agriculture-related resources. Phone: 833-897-2474 (call or text)	Farmers and farm workers	English
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline	A country-wide network that provides free and confidential support 24/7 Phone: Dial 988	General population	English, Spanish
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services	Listing of mental health resources Department of Human Services Helpline Phone: 1-800-692-7462	General population	English, Spanish, other languages
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services	Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, Medical Assistance, provides physical, mental, and behavioral health services for those who qualify List of local county assistance offices Phone: 1-866-550-4355	General population	English, Spanish, other languages
Pennie	Pennsylvania's official health insurance marketplace to get financial savings to help lower the cost of coverage and care Phone: 1-844-844-8040	General population	English, Spanish, other languages
Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers	Healthcare services for people who are un- and underinsured. Fees are on a sliding fee scale Phone: 717-761-6443 or 1-866-944-CARE Email: pachc@pachc.org	General population	English
Phone: Dial 211	pa211.org Website	General population	English
Find Help	Free or reduced-cost resources like food, housing, financial assistance, and health care	General population	English, Spanish, other languages
The Keystone Agricultural Worker Program	Primary care health services for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers Phone: 717-334-0001	Migrant and seasonal agricultural workers	Spanish
WellSpan	Helpline culturally sensitive to the needs of the Plain Sect Community Phone: 717-989-8661 Support culturally sensitive to the needs of the Latinx Community Phone: 877-232-5807 Contact: Yaime Bautista Email:ybautista@wellspan.org	Plain Sect community, Latinx community	English, Spanish
Sanarai	Online platform that connects the Latinx community to mental health professionals in Latin America Phone: 312-210-0539	General population	Spanish

Resources to help navigate financial and legal challenges on the farm and at home

The following resources offer a range of financial and legal support connected to the farm and work, such as risk management (crop insurance and disaster assistance), farm transition, farm business viability, employer/employee conflict, and immigration challenges. The following resources also offer support to families connected to caregiving support, food assistance, housing and utilities, and cash assistance.

Table 3. Resources available to navigate financial and legal challenges
Offered by	Description	Target audience	Language
Penn State's Center for Agricultural and Shale Law	Pennsylvania Agricultural Mediation Program is an alternative to dispute resolution Phone: 814-865-4290 Email: AgMediation@PennStateLaw.psu.edu	Farmers	English
Penn State Extension	Resources on farm business management, starting a farm, human resources, andtransition planning Phone: 1-877-345-0691 County Offices	Farmers	English
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Business Development Center	Resources connected to farm transition, farm vitality, beginning farmers, risk management, and financial assistance Phone: 717-787-4737 Email: RA-AgBusiness@pa.gov	Farmers	English
PA Farm Link	Farm succession planning workshops, One-on-One farm succession consultation, Ag Mentorship program, Land-linking database, referral and consultation, educational resource hub Phone: 717-705-2121 Email: farmland@pafarmlink.org	Farmers, landowners	English
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services	Resources to support individuals and families, including aging and physical disabilities, childcare support, food assistance, housing and utilities, and cash assistance Phone (helpline): 1-800-692-7462	General population	English, Spanish, and other languages
Head Start	Childcare and social services for families with children aged 3, 4, and 5 Locate Head Start Programs Phone: 866-763-6481 Email:HeadStart@eclkc.info	General population	English, Spanish
AgrAbility	Provide information and resources to people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions Phone: 814-867-5288 Email: agrability@psu.edu	Farmers, farm workers	English, Spanish
Pennsylvania Farmworker Project	List of resources to help on and off the farm Phone: 888-541-1544 or 215-603-9548	Farm workers	English, Spanish
Justice at Work	Free legal assistance for low-wage and immigrant workers in Pennsylvania Online intake form Phone: 215-733-0878	Farm workers	English, Spanish
Cultivemos	Resources for financial literacy and farmland management	Farmers, farm workers	English, Spanish
USDA Risk Management Agency	List of resources that includes crop insurance and disaster assistance Phone: 919-875-4880 Email: rsonc@usda.gov	Farmers	English, Spanish
Natural Resources Conservation Service	Programs to help soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damage caused by floods and other natural disasters. List of service centers Phone: 717-237-2100	Farmers	English
USDA Farm Service Agency	List of programs administered by the Farm Service Agency, Resources for distressed borrowers Phone (state office): 717-237-2113 List of county offices	Farmers	English, Spanish

*Note that all the resources listed above are current as of October 2024

References

Arif A, Adeyemi O, Laditka S, Laditka J, Borders T. Suicide mortality rates in farm‐related occupations and the agriculture industry in the United States. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2021;64(11):960-968. doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23287.

Daghagh Yazd S, Wheeler SA, Zuo A. Key risk factors affecting farmers' mental health: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019;16(23):4849. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234849.

Lunner Kolstrup C, Kallioniemi M, Lundqvist P, Kymäläinen H-R, Stallones L, Brumby S. International perspectives on psychosocial working conditions, mental health, and stress of dairy farm operators. Journal of Agromedicine. 2013;18(3):244-255. doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2013.796903.

Agenda

Authors