May 15, 2026 by Robert Herrington, INFB Marketing
Indiana Farm Bureau District 6 Director Jon Sparks said the best analogy he can make is that farming is like an onion – “there's a lot of layers to what we do and there's a lot of times that you're managing all those layers at the same time.”
“I think it's natural for that to be overwhelming,” he said. “I think everybody has demons to some point. It's a matter of how they deal with those – whether it's a case of beer or finding somebody to talk to, and I've been down both of those roads. There was a period in my 20s and 30s that I leaned pretty heavy on Keystone Light, and it wasn't productive.”
Sparks said one of the hardest layers of stress is caused by legacy.
“There's always this underlying desire to not disappoint those before you,” he said. “I think the outside world doesn't have any concept of that layer of pressure of not letting those before you down.”
Adding on the pressure of not letting your mentors down is knowing when it’s time to take risks, try something new or diversify the farm.
“If I could go back to that point when I took over the farm when my dad passed, I would do things a lot differently. There were things that we should have done that would have put us in a way better position now, but we didn't because I was afraid to spend the money. I didn't want to stick my neck out too far – and it wasn't good management,” Sparks admitted. “But I had to learn that on my own.”
As a parent, Sparks said he feels another layer of stress when thinking about the next generation.
“What's it going to look like for them? I struggle with that with my son,” he said. “The dream is to someday have a son that says, ‘I want to do what my dad does.’ With some of the things that we face in agriculture today, I question if that's the best path for him. Am I being an irresponsible parent if I encourage that? He is very intelligent and can do lots of things. Am I letting him go down a bad path if I encourage him to follow in my footsteps?”
Farmers also face the layer of stress from uncontrollable circumstances and weather.
“Planting can be stressful – equipment doesn't always cooperate and neither does the weather,” said Sparks. “One of the hardest years I've had farming mentally was 2019. It's easier for me to get all of our work done and watch a crop burn up than it is to not be able to get stuff done. We got 250 acres of beans planted in a 24-hour period, and then we got 12 inches of rain the next weekend, and none of them came up. I have never had that before. Zero emerged from the ground.”
With the pressure of everything on the farm, Sparks said it can be difficult to be present in the moment at times.
“When we're spending time with our families, it's really easy to still be thinking about the 40 things you've got going on at the farm. But bigger than that, when you're in the middle of a task, it's easy to have your mind somewhere else,” he said. “And that about got me killed earlier this year when I ran over myself with a tractor. I was thinking about 40 other things while I was starting the tractor and trying to kick PTO (power take-off) in for the auger. It knocked me down. It took off. I wasn't on it and it ran over me.”
Over the years, the layers of pressure can mount. Sparks shared that he’s struggled with anxiety and depression at times.
“I've always had somebody there that I felt comfortable with that would help keep me going – and I think that's what a lot of us do. I think farmers are really good at telling themselves, ‘I don't really feel good about where we're at, but if I work my tail off, I won't have time to think about anything else, and it won't be a problem.’ But the problem is when you get to the end of harvest or planting or whatever you're doing, and you get a dead period in your work schedule. Then you’ll have way too much time to think about all those things that you should have been thinking about and dealing with over the three months prior to that,” he said.
Sparks said there are no magic recipes in how to deal with stress because everyone has different ways to cope; however, having people to rely on is a necessity.
“I think the main thing is when you get to a point where you're just totally overwhelmed, there's people. You've got a circle of trust, regardless of who you are, and those people want you to succeed – whether that's mentally, physically, the farm, whatever it is. You've got to remember that those people are always there, and there's also people that come into your life at the right time that help you through things,” he said.
Sparks said he has built relationships through Farm Bureau that have helped him through some of those times. He also said farmers shouldn’t avoid those at home when they need to talk.
“Sometimes I think we're reluctant to talk to our spouse because we want them to feel like we have everything under control and we are taking care of our families. I'm probably very guilty of that,” he said. “I just want her and the kids to be taken care of and not have to worry about anything. And there's times where it could be helpful for me to have a conversation about where things are. I've been married for 10 years and I'm probably better at that now than I was when we first started.”
Once you get over the hurdle of making that first reach out, Sparks said it becomes more comfortable to go back to that stress-release valve.
“If you build that relationship with somebody, it becomes a lot easier. Letting yourself be vulnerable initially is harder than it is once you've done it,” he said.
Sparks said he can be reached at jonathan.sparks20@yahoo.com for those needing someone to talk to.
“I am not a licensed professional, but I will always be a safe place that will listen if anybody ever needs somebody to talk to,” he said. “I don't know that I’ll have all the answers – and I’ve had better days than others myself – but if nothing else, we can compare notes on why we're angry that day.”
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