The Minnesota Department of Agriculture organized a webinar for mental health providers and crisis counselors Friday to outline the current situation in agriculture. Minnesota Rural Mental Health Specialist Monica McConkey said farmers were already under extreme stress from ongoing weather and market challenges before the coronavirus pandemic. There is often a stigma within the ag sector regarding mental health challenges. “On any given morning prior to COVID there were farmers meeting for coffee at Cenex in the morning talking about their aches and pains, but probably not talking about meeting with their therapist or taking their antidepressant or anti-anxiety pills, their emotional struggles are not treated the same as their physical struggles.” The high cost of insurance was also cited as a barrier for farmers seeking mental health services.
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