Family Life on the Ranch

Addressing Mental Health Issues: Difficult but necessary for farm and ranch families

WRITTEN BY REBECCA COLNAR | PH0TOS PROVIDED BY DARLA TYLER MCSHERRY AND FAMILY

Mental health issues often remain hidden in farming and ranching, and the perceived stigma of having difficulties often precludes someone from seeking help in agricultural communities. However, for Darla Tyler McSherry, addressing mental health issues is essential.

Darla grew up on a family wheat farm in Big Sandy. “My dad was born on the farm during the Great Depression. He was literally born on that farm, as his parents didn’t have enough money to go to the hospital. He was very proud that he was a part of the farm and led the harvest for 71 years. Even when he was 82 years old, he was farming full-time. He didn’t need to keep farming, but he loved it.”

Darla’s brother started farming more and more as her father developed health issues, especially with vision, that eventually didn’t allow him to be part of the harvest. “He had vision issues his entire life, but it took him to a place mentally that none of us close to him ever realized, and it blindsided us when he took his own life on the family farm.”

A few days after his death, Darla talked to one of her father’s friends, who said, “Your dad would stop and ask in earnest, ‘How are you doing?’ He sincerely cared about how someone and their family were doing. That phrase stuck with me as I thought about how we need to prevent any family from going through what my family has gone through. My professional background is in health and fitness work, so I took that concept and developed a website and mission to raise awareness for mental health, especially suicide.”

Two of the common reasons farmers and ranchers generally experience mental health issues are that agriculture has a minimal worklife balance and it’s extremely unpredictable.

Darla noted that, if she has a bad day at her job at MSU-Billings, she can leave her job and come home. “If you have a bad day at the farm or ranch, you don’t get to leave. The crop burning up, the drought, the brokendown combine is outside your door. When dealing with wheat, you can’t get the crop out of the hail, and you can’t reach that calf or lamb in a spring snowstorm. Disease outbreaks in crops or livestock add to the stress. In addition, if one person can’t work because of an illness, it puts a huge kink in the system. If a farmer gets sick, there might be not be anyone to pick up the workload. Add to that input prices like fertilizer and feed are skyrocketing. When you farm or ranch, weather, commodity prices and input costs are completely out of your control.”

In addition, the culture of farming or ranching promotes the idea that if you’re from tough stock, you won’t ask for help. “Farmers and ranchers are very self-sufficient. If you have a flat tire three miles from the farm, you fix it. You withstand pain, weather and long hours. It’s not in their culture to say, ‘I need help.’”

Persevering through hard times is admirable, but you need to take a step back and say, ‘I’m hurting when it comes to mental health issues. I need help.’”

As for communicating hard times to children, Darla says kids are more intuitive than we think. “Bring kids into the conversation about what’s going on, even if it’s the drought, grasshoppers eating your crop or low cattle prices. Be proactive and holistic in your mental health and stress management.”

She added that eating healthy meals and exercising as a family are essential.

“Research has found that a diet of fried food and junk food can lead to symptoms of depression. Having a healthy diet can prevent depression,” Darla said. “A body that is stressed is prone to depression. Stay hydrated, and remember to exercise as a family, even if it’s walking to the mailbox or checking your cattle.”

In addition, Darla urges parents to consider how essential good sleep is. “Make sure the environment is quiet, cool and conducive to sleep. Try to make a good transition in the last hour before the end of a busy day and sleep. Listen to music, do some stretches and read for pleasure. Then do that old-fashioned lights out.”

Several websites regarding mental health include: Darla McSherry’s Askinearnest. org, Montana State University’s Farm and Ranch Stress Clearinghouse, Farmers’ Angel Network (Facebook), the Farm Aid Call Center 1-800-FARM-Aid, and American Farm Bureau’s FarmStateofMind.org.

Rebecca Colnar is Director of Public Relations for Montana Farm Bureau and a freelance writer from Custer, Montana.