Weather, prices and debt: coping with farm money stress

Many farmers feel embarrassed to tell anyone, even a spouse, that things are tight. Hiding it makes the stress heavier and leaves fewer people who can help.

Waiting on a payment, an insurance claim or the next rain keeps your mind on high alert. It helps to separate what you can act on now from what you have to wait out.

Money stress often shows up as arguments, silence or short tempers at home. Talking about it as a team is covered later in this guide.

Keep a simple record of

• Animals lost or hurt, with dates
• Bills and receipts for repairs and feed
• Calls and visits with insurance or USDA staff
• Photos and videos of damage to crops, land and buildings

USDA runs disaster programs for crop, livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish losses, emergency conservation work like fence repair, and more. farmers.gov has a Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, and your local USDA Service Center can explain how to sign up.

The Farm Aid Hotline offers emotional support and can help you think through recovery options. It refers farmers to legal, financial and local disaster resources through its Farmer Resource Network.

Free, confidential support for anyone feeling distress after a disaster, for yourself or someone else. Press 2 for Spanish, and interpreters are available in over 100 languages.

A long drought or a disease in the herd doesn’t have one bad day. It wears you down week after week. Watching the sky or the herd every day can keep stress switched on with no break.

What helps

• A set time each day to check the forecast or markets, not all day
• Breaking the season into weekly decisions
• Talking with others in the same situation
• Time off the farm, even an hour

USDA’s Farm Service Agency says price swings, ongoing bad weather or unexpected personal problems can affect your ability to pay on time. It may be able to offer loan servicing to direct loan borrowers who are behind because of circumstances beyond their control.

If you fall behind, FSA sends a notice listing your options and deadlines. Read it carefully, and ask someone to go through it with you if it feels overwhelming.

Most lenders would rather work something out than reach a crisis. Ask what choices exist, such as changing a payment schedule. Get any agreement in writing.

Chapter 12 is a part of U.S. bankruptcy law made for family farmers and family fishermen with regular annual income. It lets them propose a plan to repay debts, usually over three to five years. Whether it fits you is a question for a lawyer.

USDA’s Certified Mediation Program funds state programs that help farmers, lenders and others settle disputes, including farm loan problems, with a neutral mediator. Taking part is voluntary, the mediator can’t make decisions for you, and talks are kept confidential.

It is meant as a low-cost alternative to court or bankruptcy. Programs may charge a small fee. If your state has no program, contact your local FSA office.

Staff answer on weekdays and connect farmers of any size with services that fit their needs. You can also fill in an online request, and the team aims to reply within 24 to 48 hours. Check farmaid.org for current hours. It is not a crisis line.

Many state Extension programs offer farm financial management help and farm stress resources. Your county Extension office is a good first call if you don’t know where to start.

The National Agricultural Law Center, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, publishes research and information on agricultural law. It is a place to learn, not a source of advice on your own case.

The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network links people in agriculture to helplines, websites, workshops and support groups.

• North Central: farmstress.org
• Northeast: cultivemos.org
• South: frsansouth.org
• West: farmstress.us

When the farm can’t cover household bills, dial 2-1-1 or visit 211.org. It’s free and confidential and connects you with local help for food, housing and bills.

Try

• Open mail with your partner or a trusted friend
• Open mail once a week at a set time
• Put anything with a deadline on the calendar right away
• Sort into three piles: pay, call, file

Ask yourself: “What are three possible ways this could go?” Writing them down helps you see that the worst outcome is one of several.

Try

• Keep a notepad by the bed and write the worry down
• Tell yourself: “I’ll deal with this at 9 a.m.”
• Get up for a few minutes if you can’t settle, then try again
• Slow breathing: in for 4, out for 6

A single page with what comes in, what goes out, what you owe and when it’s due makes things feel less endless. The “Farm money snapshot” worksheet helps you build one.

• “I’ve been carrying this alone and I need to share it.”
• “Here’s where things stand. Let’s figure it out together.”
• “What are you most worried about?”
• “We’ve gotten through hard years before.”

• “It’s all your fault we’re in this mess.”
• “Don’t worry about it” (when they can see you’re worried)
• “We’re going to lose everything.”
• Keeping big decisions secret

Kids don’t need the numbers. They need to know the adults are handling it and it isn’t their fault. Let older children help in small, age-fitting ways if they want to.

1. Pick a set time, not right after a bad day.
2. Look at the one-page snapshot together.
3. Agree on one or two actions for the week.
4. End with something that isn’t about money.

A free, confidential crisis and support line for people in agriculture, run by the AgriSafe Network. Interpreters are available for calls, and texting works in English and Spanish.

Free and confidential support for anyone in emotional distress or crisis, and for people worried about someone else.

Prefer texting? Text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line.

findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country. Your farm union or agriculture department may also know of farm-specific support.