Over the past few years, we in agriculture have had an increased awareness of mental health—and rightfully so. The agriculture industry is dynamic, and growers are at times under extreme pressure as they deal with factors they can’t always control. I personally know a farmer or two who struggled, and the outcome was not what it should have been. The consulting world is no different. We inherit the problems of our clients and are expected to provide solutions to their problems. We’re often expected to perform miracles to keep a program moving forward—with the expectation that our advice cannot be wrong. We experience all of this on top of running our own businesses and taking part in family activities.
Midway through the summer, I got a call out of the blue from a researcher whom I had not heard from for some time. Almost immediately after I said hello, the caller spent a good five minutes telling me about the various stresses that they were dealing with as the result of business struggles caused by weather, personnel and clientele deadlines. At one point, this person was very forward and said “By the way, Grant, this is a mental health call!” For me, this call was a timely one as I was having a difficult period navigating the daily stresses of my season. Our call lasted a good 20 minutes, and in the end, it did us both good to hear others are dealing with the same problems. The discussion provided an outlet and a sounding board for both of us.
Traditionally, this type of conversation would have been classified as a sign of weakness and perceived as whining or incapability to do the job. We know better. These discussions have become more accepted, encouraged and viewed as signs of strength.
I have been a researcher-consultant for 20 years, and I feel I have built up a good tolerance to the stresses this job can bring to the table. Often, by Thanksgiving, I find I can take a breath, and by Christmas, I can breathe. But I will not lie that the cumulative sum of stresses caused by short staffing, weather and other pandemic-related factors during the past three seasons has pushed me to an extreme. The only thing getting me through it is by talking to my peers, family and colleagues, and I encourage you to do the same to catch your breath, too.
