Georgia group works to address growing mental health crisis among farmers

A Georgia organization is looking for ways to address mental health concerns among the state’s farmers.

John P. McElveen is the director of the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance, which was founded in 2022. He told WABE that the general population might not realize the types of stressors farmers are under today.

“I do think those outside of agriculture sometimes have this very rosy picture of the pastoral settings in which farmers work and that they get to be outside and enjoy that. And that’s true to a certain extent,” McElveen said. “But it is a double-edged sword, if you will. And so, they really need to understand — those consumers and others — and we’re all impacted and depend upon agriculture. We need to know about that stress and those challenges.”

From natural disasters like hurricanes to economic challenges, such as tariffs and rising fuel costs, farmers face several obstacles to keep their businesses going, which contribute to worsening mental health.

The National Rural Health Association reports that farmers are three to five times more likely to die by suicide than the average population.

McElveen was introduced to a program called COMET, the Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, based out of Colorado. The program works to train rural communities how to help people who are struggling.

McElveen hopes to bring the program to Georgia to help rural communities deal with mental health challenges.