What’s Really Stressing America’s Farmers

We toss around the phrase “mental health,” and sometimes it feels a little vague. Hard to grab onto. Here’s something we all recognize right away. Stress. And in agriculture, stress is often not the disease. It’s the symptom.

So what’s the root cause? Very often, it’s money.

A 2025 study from the University of Georgia puts real numbers behind what farm families have felt for years. Peanut and cotton growers have spent decades losing money more often than they make it. Rising input costs, flat prices, equipment bills that never stop. When your land and livelihood are on the line, financial pressure doesn’t stay on a spreadsheet. It follows you home.

Researchers found farmers aren’t looking for slogans or surface-level coping tips. They want tools. Clear guidance on disaster assistance, government programs, and managing debt before it becomes overwhelming.

Here’s the takeaway. When we take financial stress seriously and treat it at the source, we are doing more than helping farms survive. We are helping people hold on.

A link to the study, along with immediate help resources for anyone in crisis, can be found at https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/news/financial-planning-relieves-farm-stress/