Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

A majority of farmers and farm workers say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health, according to a new American Farm Federation Bureau poll. The results, announced Wednesday, find more than half of respondents say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago. The survey of rural adults and farmers and farmworkers explores how the pandemic has affected their mental health personally, and in their communities. The survey also explored how attitudes and experiences around mental health have changed in rural and farm communities since AFBF conducted its first rural mental health survey in 2019. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says, “My takeaway from this survey is that the need for support is real, and we must not allow lack of access or a ‘too tough to need help’ mentality to stand in the way.” The survey of 2,000 rural adults was conducted by Morning Consult in December.