Oct 5, 2026 by Robert Herrington, INFB Marketing
Harvest season is the most demanding stretch of time as farmers try to get everything done within a small window of time. As farmers work in the fields, the Purdue Extension Farm Stress Team (PEFST) reminds you that “You're the most important asset on the farm. Without you, nothing's going to get done.”
Abby Paul, a Gibson County Purdue Extension Educator and PEFST member, said one thing she’s seeing this year around where she lives is an early harvest season.
“Even though we are two, three weeks ahead of our normal harvest schedule, guys are still running 100 miles an hour like their hair is on fire,” she said. “We're not used to having an early harvest and I think it's very hard for farmers to slow down in this season.”
Paul said this has caused farmers to be in really good shape with their farms, but struggling mentally with the additional time.
“It's a time of the year that’s super important to take care of mental, physical and emotional health, and relationships – and sometimes it's really hard to do,” she said. “It means watching your sleep schedule, making sure you're eating nutritious meals. It's taking time for your family. It doesn't mean shutting everything down to go home, but maybe the family comes to the field and a kid brings a soccer ball while we're dumping onto the semi. Kick the ball around and talk about the day. Get creative with how your family spends time together but make sure you're not neglecting that time.”
Paul likened harvest to a marathon, not a sprint.
“What we see sometimes with warning signs are farmers who get really quiet, we see an uptick in farm accidents, because when you get farmers that are really stressed out, you tend to get a high cortisol level, but it creates some brain fog that also increases the likelihood for small accidents that could have been prevented,” she said.
“During that time, when a farmer is expecting it to be chaotic and it's not, that can be very unsettling. Your whole central nervous system is sitting there going, ‘What do I do?’” added Angela Sorg, a licensed clinician and Purdue Extension educator in DeKalb County.
Another unexpected change impacting farmers was the 100-year flood which hit portions of the state in August.
“The flood was a really big metaphor for farmers and farming in general, because a lot of times things happen that are completely out of our control and we can't predict what's going to happen next,” said Paul. “Our responses are just as unique as we are.”
From a therapist’s perspective, Sorg said the flooding from August is causing anxiety if you're still waking up with nightmares, you're stressed, eating too much or unable to eat, or you're angry with a lot of people.
“All of those things could lend to more post-traumatic kinds of stress issues,” she said. “That’s really your brain just trying to make sense of everything and trying to connect all of the dots when initially your brain didn't have time to do that. If that happens, does that make me weaker than the next farm over? No, it just means for whatever reason, my brain considered this to be a very traumatic event, and now I am needing help.”
Paul said it is important farmers incorporate positive time-filling strategies like listening to an audiobook, podcast or music, calling family members to catch up or reaching out to check-in on fellow farmers.
“AP News comes on and tells them something has happened and it’s bad news for farmers. Then they sit with that in a cab for hours. They stew on it, think about it and their brain spirals and they can’t sleep for days,” she said. “Don’t give yourself a chance to spiral in your thoughts or really internalize some of those things, because there's a lot going on right now.”
As focused as farmers get on harvest, there’s also time to check in on your neighbors at the store, church, or in line at the elevator.
“You know that they're sitting in a tractor cab, same as you, so you might as well give them a call to see how they're doing,” said Paul. “Just a friendly check in to see how they're doing goes a long way in making sure that everybody remembers that we're in this together.”
Harvest also is a time to remember your spouse, especially when young children are at home.
“Spouses used to spend hours together, just talking, working together or doing their thing, and when kids enter the picture you can't necessarily do that because now you have young kids at home,” said Sorg. “So there’s a separation time between spouses and I think a lot of times it can be misunderstood from one spouse to the next, that the other one doesn't want to spend time together – and that's really the farthest from the truth.”
Physical separation during harvest can be difficult, so Sorg encourages couples to do little things like sending a quick text or a funny picture.
“Write a note on the bathroom mirror in the morning with ‘I love you, I miss you.’ That sends a massive message that could maybe get a spouse through the day when things get really hard,” she said. “Be creative. All of those kinds of things can just really help couples stay connected and it doesn't take time at all.”
Needing help? More information and resources on PEFST can be found at extension.purdue.edu/farmstress.
“The world of therapy sometimes can be kind of intimidating because we're not born knowing what that looks like or how is this going to help? The farm stress team have many conversations with people just helping them understand the process and then walking alongside of them during that process,” she said. “We always recommend finding someone who is very knowledgeable in agriculture, because you do have to do therapy differently.”
Sorg also recommends PsychologyToday.com.
“It’s like the Walmart of psychology. You can put in your zip code if you want to locate a therapist a few counties over because you just don't want people to see you at the office. There’s an option for virtual if you can’t get away from the farm,” she said. “We always say call 988 or if it's an immediate concern, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.”
(317) 692-7871
P.O. Box 1290 Indianapolis, IN 46206
