Caring for a farm, ranch or agri-business is hard work and Montana agriculturalist must wear many hats, often many at the same time. The work it takes to juggle raising animals and crops, managing employees and various schedules all while navigating weather changes and market fluctuations can be overwhelming.

The Montana Department of Agriculture understands that the stress put on our producers is real. In a timely response to May’s designation as Mental Health Month, they launched Beyond the Weather, a resource and partnership to help agriculture producers respond to the challenges that this industry presents. In partnership with Frontier Psychiatry, Beyond the Weather provides agricultural producers and their families with free access to a variety of services including individual counseling, tele-health, and medication management at no cost to the participant.

Visit beyondtheweather.com to explore these resources.

Now it's more important than ever to make sure mental health is a priority for everyone in agriculture, especially when many producers are making tough decisions for their operations. Montana Stockgrowers Association is committed to supporting Montanans in agriculture with their online resource guide. More information about this guide can be found at their website mtbeef.org/advocacy/mental-health-resources.

Additionally, Montana State University Extension has created a statewide stress management toolkit designed specifically for agriculture producers. They recognize that the most important part of any ag operation is the producer, and this resource provides assistance in areas such as finances & money, health management, substance use & misuse, suicide prevention and nutrition & cooking. These resources can be accessed at msuextension.org.

I encourage you to spend some time on the sites mentioned above to take advantage of the many resources created to support the mental health of those growing and raising Montana’s food, fuel and fiber.

If you are interested in learning more about your local FADC or are in need of business or technical assistance, please contact Abby Majerus, Director of the Snowy Mountain FADC, at 406-535-2591 or email at [email protected]