Farmers in America are killing themselves in staggering numbers

[zenkai]

Source



"Think about trying to live today on the income you had 15 years ago." That's how agriculture expert Chris Hurt describes the plight facing U.S. farmers today.

The unequal economy that's emerged over the past decade, combined with patchy access to health care in rural areas, have had a severe impact on the people growing America's food. Recent data shows just how much. Farmers are dying by suicide at a higher rate than any other occupational group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The suicide rate in the field of farming, fishing and forestry is 84.5 per 100,000 people -- more than five times that of the population as a whole. That's even as the nation overall has seen an increase in suicide rates over the last 30 years.

The CDC study comes with a few caveats. It looked at workers over 17 different states, but it left out some major agricultural states, like Iowa. And the occupational category that includes these workers includes small numbers of workers from related occupational groups, like fishing and forestry. (However, agricultural workers make up the vast majority of the "farming, fishing and forestry" occupational group.)

However, the figures in the CDC study mirror other recent findings. Rates of suicide have risen fastest, and are highest, in rural areas, the CDC found in a different study released earlier this month. Other countries have seen this issue, too -- including India, where 60,000 farmer suicides have been linked to climate change.

In the U.S., several longtime farm advocates say today's crisis mirrors one that happened in the 1980s, when many U.S. farmers struggled economically, with an accompanying spike in farmer suicides.

"The farm crisis was so bad, there was a terrible outbreak of suicide and depression," said Jennifer Fahy, communications director with Farm Aid, a group founded in 1985 that advocates for farmers. Today, she said, "I think it's actually worse."

"We're hearing from farmers on our hotline that farmer stress is extremely high," Fahy said. "Every time there's more uncertainty around issues around the farm economy is another day of phones ringing off the hook."

Finances are a major reason. Since 2013, farm income has been dropping steadily, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This year, the average farm's income is projected to be 35 percent below its 2013 level.

"The current incomes we've seen for the last three years ... have been about like farm incomes from early in this century," said Hurt, a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University in Indiana.

Farmers are also at the mercy of elements outside their direct control, from extreme weather events that threaten crops to commodity prices that offer less for farm goods than it costs to produce them.

"We've spoken to dairy farmers who are losing money on every pound of milk they sell," said Alana Knudson, co-director of the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis with the University of Chicago.

As America's trading partners slap tariffs on U.S. crops, those prices are set to be further undermined. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's gradual raising of interest rates threatens the financing for many smaller farms.

"A lot of our farmers take out operating loans so they can buy seed, fertilizer and spray. As we're looking at increasing interest rates, this is going to exacerbate financial vulnerability," Knudson said.

Unreliable finances are a major reason why three-quarters of farmers must rely on non-farm income, often from a second job. Health insurance access is another.

Health care and mental-health services can be critical, Knudson said, particularly in rural areas, where medical care may be scarce. The farm bill that passed the House last week threatens to undo that, she said, because it allows for health insurance to sell plans that exclude mental health coverage. The Senate version of the farm bill allocates $20 million to a program to connect farmers with behavioral health services.

Such programs are even more crucial today, said Fahy, because many publicly-funded programs that were created in the wake of the 1980s farm crisis have been chipped away over the years. She pointed to Minnesota, where a suicide hotline closed earlier this month after a budget dispute between the legislature and the governor.

"Farmer stress right now is extremely high, the farm economy is very precarious and not predicted to improve in the near future," she said. However, she added, "When there are steps in place to address the root cause, which is usually financial and legal, the stress becomes manageable."

Because people can feel stigma around issues of mental health, conversation is important, said Doug Samuel, associate psychology professor at Purdue University.

"When you're looking at someone who you have a concern about," Samuel advised, "don't be afraid to ask, don't be afraid to listen."

I think farmers need protection from big companies that takes advantage of them.

[Masark]

"We've spoken to dairy farmers who are losing money on every pound of milk they sell," said Alana Knudson, co-director of the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis with the University of Chicago.

Sounds like you guys need some kind of scheme to ensure reasonable prices for them. Maybe some method of managing supply so it doesn't get out of whack from demand.

[Daedius]

Blame large supermarket chains and fast food restaurants driving prices insanely low.

[Aoyi]

Its really sad that the people who spend their lives growing the food the country needs are so severely underpaid for what they do. I actually watched a story two days ago on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight about the struggles farmers in the chicken industry are facing. For any interested in watching the piece, I'll link it below, but the basics of it are that many chicken farmers are living below the poverty line despite the insane amount of chicken Americans consume. Those that try to speak out publicly about what they are going through are punished financially by suppliers to discourage public awareness of the problem.

Youtube Link

[Deleted]

Well as it turns out, centralization of power and structure in a industry sector, doesn't reflect particularly well on those who contract for them.

Same problem here, not the suicide one, but the economic one in farming.

[Osmeric]

The free market is pretty good for consumers, but marginal producers are driven to the wall.

[Allybeboba]

Farming is tough work.

Cheers

[Ozyorkbourne]

Its really sad that the people who spend their lives growing the food the country needs are so severely underpaid for what they do. I actually watched a story two days ago on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight about the struggles farmers in the chicken industry are facing. For any interested in watching the piece, I'll link it below, but the basics of it are that many chicken farmers are living below the poverty line despite the insane amount of chicken Americans consume. Those that try to speak out publicly about what they are going through are punished financially by suppliers to discourage public awareness of the problem.

Youtube Link

That's no different to any other farmer/producer punished by supermarkets. Happens if you complain about wastes due to cosmetic standards on fruit/veg produce.

[zenkai]

I live in a rural community so I buy directly from the farmers when I can, I love the farmers market.

[Poopymonster]

Maybe...just maybe...they are realizing what they voted for, finally fully comprehending how it affects them, and figure "I'm done. I quit."

[Gorgodeus]

One big flaw in your entire post. If you notice it states "The suicide rate in the field of farming, fishing and forestry". The statistics include every worker at a farm, and not just the person that owns/runs the farm. Most farms are corporate owned these days anyways, with the number of private farms being pretty low compared to corporate ones.

So basically, farm-workers are killing themselves at a higher rate.

[Deleted]

So what this says is there are too many farmers producing too much stuff. Time for some (or many, if it's a big problem) farmers to go out of business. That way there'll be less supply and prices will rise.

But no, let's complain, shove money around and make people pay more for their food, even though there's a great surplus.

[Ozyorkbourne]

Maybe...just maybe...they are realizing what they voted for, finally fully comprehending how it affects them, and figure "I'm done. I quit."

Their current situation is no worse than if they had voted Democrat (perhaps some did, not that there's anything wrong with voting for your own interests). Agriculture is getting crippled internationally, made worse by imbalanced subsidies and excess dumping. The irony is that the US complains about Canada dumping, but they dump wheat/maize in to Mexico which keeps living costs down, labor wages down, reinforces poverty resulting in crime, resulting in migration attempts to the US. This also increases desire to get seasonal work in US agriculture, which isn't paid well. It's all one big international circle.

[jazen]

Well, a lot of these farmers are big business are garner massive subsidies. Maybe this article is talking about smaller operations?

Yes. Big corporate farms are insulated from most pricing pressures by insurance and government welfare (called subsidies because conservatives hate welfare).

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One big flaw in your entire post. If you notice it states "The suicide rate in the field of farming, fishing and forestry". The statistics include every worker at a farm, and not just the person that owns/runs the farm. Most farms are corporate owned these days anyways, with the number of private farms being pretty low compared to corporate ones.

So basically, farm-workers are killing themselves at a higher rate.

This. Just this.

[Bodakane]

lol. Save farmers because big corps are fucking them, but to hell with anyone else being fucked by big corps.

The right is essentially a chemical explosion away from being a Batman villain.

[Deleted]

It´s obviously the consumers fault, the gouvernement and the supermarkets for this tragedy.

Quote me if I have a blurred vision about the USA market, but the truth is that healthy food is more expensive then unhealthy food. Besides that your great president decided to start a trade war. Which is great for consumers, but not for producers. Here where I live I buy my fruit and veggies from local farmers, I do not spend money in supermarkets. It takes me an hour to get to the farmer, but everything is nice. I go there atleast 4 times a month and in summer time I visit the farm more then twice a week.

Supermarkets want everything as cheap as possible. Bread made with cancerous materials go cheaper then the bread from the bakery. I always take my bread from the bakery and I go there once a week. Consumers are lazy and they want everything as cheap as possible, supermarkets flock to these people and force the producers to produce with low cost as possible.

Fifty years from now there will be hunger in our countrys because everything has gone to shit

[Osmeric]

Besides that your great president decided to start a trade war. Which is great for consumers, but not for producers.

What? That's pretty much backwards.

[Deleted]

What? That's pretty much backwards.

Imagine how to read that sarcasticly

[Gorgodeus]

Lol who cares about farmers. Just buy your food from the store lmao.

Where the hell do you think that food in the store came from? You get my vote for dumbass of the month.

[Orange Joe]

I think farmers need protection from big companies that takes advantage of them.

how do you feel about minimum wage?