Helping farmers with stress assistance.
Information on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you are in crisis, please visit your local emergency department or call 911 immediately.

It's time to listen. It's time to help.

Agricultural work includes a number of unique stressors, such as impacts of weather conditions and events, financial concerns about commodity prices, loan interest rates, and managing the farm business, long work hours, working with heavy machinery, and at times, working closely with family. Stress among people in agriculture is important because it can contribute to negative mental health outcomes, and people in agriculture have higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and deaths by suicide compared to the general population. 

At Illinois Extension, we offer several programs to help people who work in agriculture to learn more about stress and stress management, as well as programs for agricultural community members to learn more about farm stress, mental health, and how to help someone who is struggling or in crisis. 

Request a voucher to receive free counseling services.

You aren't alone. See our resources.

A close-up portrait of the face of a black cow looking straight at the camera. The sunlight is coming in gently from the right of the photo.

Request A Voucher

The Mental Health Voucher Program offers free access to certified mental health professionals for farmers and their families.

Financial Help
A combine harvester is moving away from the photographer, harvesting rows of golden stalked corn.

Need Help Now?

If you are in need of support related to stress or mental health, these resources may be useful to you or someone you love.

Who Can I call?
A woman stands next to her husband holding their toddler in the middle of a corn field. The sun is setting in the distance, casting a golden hue, and a serene image.

North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance

Helping Midwestern farmers and ranchers find the resources and support to thrive.

Find Support Here

Explore these videos to try these stress-reducing practices.

Whether in the field, barn, tractor, or home, these simple techniques may help you handle the stress that comes from farming.

Stop. Breathe. Think.

Many of the decisions we make are reactive and driven by our emotions. Learn to pause before we respond, allowing for a thoughtful response. 

Watch the Video

Senses

Using your senses can be any easy way to quickly get into a mindful state. Learn the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to quickly increase your mindful awareness. 

Watch the Video

A golden farm field is in the front as a bright blue sky with white puffy clouds is overhead.

Visualization

Thinking in pictures can be helpful in helping us quiet our mind. Learn this simple technique of using pictures in your mind to stop distressing thoughts and restore calm.
A golden field with bales of hay.

Mindful Listening

The sounds all around us can be a useful tool to becoming more mindful. This video features three different mindful listening techniques to help you become more mindful. 
A farmer with a wide brim hat holds a basket of vegetables in front of him. The point of view is from overhead.

Mindful Eating

You can be in the present moment throughout your day - even while you eat! Learn the steps to eat more mindfully to enjoy your food, your experience, and the present moment more in this video.

A farmer stands to the right of the image staring out across his fields.

Mantras

What we say to ourselves can greatly impact our mental well-being. In this video, learn about mantras and how they can be useful for bringing peace and calming stress. 
A bright, strong corn field sits underneath a bright blue sky.

Just Breathe

Breathing is an important component of living more mindfully. This video teaches a few simple breathing techniques that you can try anytime, anywhere. 
An arm comes in from the right side of the image, as their fingers trail along a field of flowing wheat, as the sun sets in the background.

Finger Breathing

Mindful breathing is just one way to easily incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. This video features the finger breathing technique, a simple mindfulness technique that can help calm the mind. 

Information on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are in crisis, please visit your local emergency department or call 911 immediately. 

Renewing Hope, Restoring Productivity

AgrAbility

The vision of AgrAbility is to enhance quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities.

About AgrAbility

Farm Mental Health Contacts

Courtney Cuthbertson: Courtney can assist with the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center and ongoing research about stress and mental health in agricultural communities.

Stephanie Acevedo: Stephanie, farm and ranch stress project coordinator can assist with youth or adult Mental Health First Aid training or one of Michigan State University Extension workshops, including Communicating with Farmers Under Stress and Weathering the Storm in Agriculture. Email, 217-244-2141.

Kacie Hulshof: Kacie, Mental Health Voucher Program coordinator, can assist with the Illinois Agricultural Mental Health Voucher Program. Email, 217-333-6205.