GFB News Magazine
Summit offers stressed farmers hope
by Jennifer Whittaker
Posted on May 24, 2025 3:47 AM
Low commodity prices, high production costs and farm losses to numerous storms the past two years have hurt Georgia agriculture. Members of Georgia’s ag community met in Statesboro March 13 for the 2025 Farm Stress Summit to share resources and ways to support farm families.
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper, left, and Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), right, discussed farmer mental health during a panel session. /Photo by Logan Thomas
As a poultry farmer, Tanner shared the stress he experienced this winter worrying that his farm might be affected by avian flu after the disease was discovered on two Elbert County farms. Harper discussed what his family experienced last September after Hurricane Helene destroyed fencing on their farm.
Harper and Tanner have made addressing farmer mental health a priority for the state agencies they run. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and DBHDD have been working with UGA Cooperative Extension, the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance and Georgia Farm Bureau to reduce the stigma of farmers talking about mental health.
“Our state can’t be successful if agriculture’s not successful, and agriculture can’t be successful if farm families and farmers themselves aren’t successful,” Harper said. “If farmers are dealing with mental health challenges, they need to know there are resources for them to tap into.”
Tanner acknowledged that many farmers, especially the older generation like his dad, who is 84, were raised to internalize their emotions. Harper added that most farm kids are taught if you break something you’re responsible for fixing it.
“Farmers tend to be self-reliant, and when it comes to our mental health, we take that same attitude of ‘I broke myself, I’ve got to fix myself.’ We’re less likely to ask people to help us,” Harper said.
Tools to help
Tanner said the Farm & Faith Initiative is one way the DBHDD is helping farmers.
“Who do farmers trust? Farmers trust each other. They trust their spouse, and they usually trust their preacher,” Tanner said. “If we can get to the spouse, to other farmers and to the faith leaders, we can start breaking down the stigma and make it ok for farmers to talk about the stress issues they’re facing. We’re seeing that work.”
Tanner acknowledged that there are times that someone may need more help than a friend, spouse or pastor can provide.
“988 is a number our agency operates. It’s also operated nationally. That’s the number you can call 24 hours, seven days a week to speak to a live, trained clinician,” Tanner said.
Whole family approach
The DBHDD is also looking to provide support to farm children, Tanner said.
“One of the things we don’t think about is our children who grow up on farms and are facing stress. They know when mom and dad are struggling,” Tanner said.
Since most rural Georgia communities don’t have psychiatrists, Tanner said, primary care pediatricians are being trained to watch for depression and anxiety in children. The pediatricians are paired with a psychiatrist in a metro area so they can work together to address the child’s needs.
Connie Baptiste, a fourth-generation farmer and Air Force veteran, gave the keynote address at the summit. She became a certified peer support specialist after prioritizing her mental wellness and realizing the African American community wasn’t discussing mental wellness.
Farmer & Air Force veteran Connie Baptiste. /Photo by Logan Thomas
“Being a Black woman in both the military and farming exposed me to unique stressors. Developing a mental wellness plan for myself proved crucial in navigating life in both spaces,” Baptiste said in a GDA interview honoring her as a 2024 mental health hero. “As an advocate for mental wellness for my military brothers and sisters, I recognized the need for this same advocacy for my agricultural family.”
Baptiste says it’s important to focus on the mental health of the whole family.
“Focusing on the whole farmer, family included, will bring some of the younger generation back to the profession,” Baptiste said in her 2024 GDA interview. “Coping and wellness plans for the whole family balance some of the stress of being an agricultural family.”
Farm & rural mental health resources
https://agr.georgia.gov/mental-health-agriculture
https://site.extension.uga.edu/thriving/
https://www.fb.org/initiative/farm-state-of-mind
https://gafarmstress.org/healthy-mindset/
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/opioids-resources-toolkit-for-rural-georgia
Anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or some type of emotional crisis are encouraged to call the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities hotline at 988. Trained clinicians are available to talk 24 hours, seven days a week.
