August 26, 2021

When you are at the breaking point

Topic: Leadership

By Joey Bailey, NDFB Director of Organizational Development

I usually cringe when people start talking about mental health. I was raised in a household where, “Suck it up buttercup,” was often used. When life got tough, we got tougher. Heck, I still use those same phrases with my kids. But I feel like the last two years have pushed a lot of people in agriculture to their breaking point and it is worth talking about.

I was at a meeting with fellow young farmers and ranchers and their attitude overall was sad and depressed. It was like they had given up. Unfortunately, a lot of older ranchers and farmers are going to have to hang up their hat after this historic drought. It made me sad to think my fellow young farmers and ranchers might be throwing in the towel as well.

Read the rest of Joey's post here.

(Editor's note: We have several videos regarding mental health from the 2019 Farm and Ranch Conference. Please check them out here. Members of the NDFB Promotion and Education Committee did a five-episode podcast in which they shared their stories and coping mechanisms. Those can be listened to here.