♪♪ >> Eric: RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNESOTA SAW STATEWIDE FARM INCOMES IN 2024 DROP TO THE LOWEST LEVEL THIS CENTURY.

THE OUTLOOK IS BETTER FOR 2025, BUT A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINS OVER TARIFFS, INTEREST RATES, AND A VOLATILE ECONOMY.

PERSISTENT STRESS COMES WITH THE TERRITORY FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS.

AND A GROUP THAT HAS A HIGHER RATE OF SUICIDE THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

TED MATTHEWS IS A MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

HE'S A PSYCHOLOGIST WHO IS RETIRING AT THE END OF JUNE AFTER MORE THAN FOUR DECADES WORKING WITH FARMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS, TED.

CATHY AND I WERE AT THE CAPITOL WORKING IN THE MID '80s WHEN THERE WAS A FARM CRISIS AND ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE PROBLEMS FOR FARMERS, NOT ONLY THEIR ECONOMICS BUT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.

I WONDER HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE ENSUING DECADES?

>> WELL, IN A LOT F WAYS IT'S ACTUALLY WORSE BECAUSE IN FARMING NOW IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE LAND YOU'RE OT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FARM.

SO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TAKE OVER THE FARMS, WHO'S GOING TO DO THAT.

THE COST OF LAND IS SO HIGH THAT TO GET INTO FARMING NOW REQUIRES BEING PART OF A FAMILY OR FINDING SOME KIND OF LUCKY SCHEME OF SOME TYPE WHICH I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.

SO IT'S REALLY, REALLY STRESSFUL ON FARMS ANYWAY, NO MATTER WHAT.

MOST PEOPLE THINK WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD YEAR, THAT'S A STRESSFUL YEAR.

THE FACT IS EVERY YEAR IS A STRESSFUL YEAR WITH FARMING BECAUSE THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET AN OPERATING LOAN, THAT'S STRESSFUL.

WHETHER THE BANK IS GOING TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED, AND THE NEXT THING IS YOU HAVE TO PLANT.

AND IS IT GOING TO BE HOT, IS IT GOING TO BE COLD, IS IT GOING TO BE DRY, IS IT GOING TO BE WET?

AND ALL OF THOSE FACTORS COME IN.

AND THEN ONCE YOU GET THAT IN, THEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE APHIDS, ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE HAIL, ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE WIND, ALL THOSE POSSIBILITIES, CAN BE TOO DRY, TOO WET, AND SO YOU GO HROUGH ALL OF THAT AND THEN YOU GET TO TIME TO HARVEST AND WHEN YOU HARVEST ARE THE PRICES GOING TO BE GOOD, IS THE YIELD GOING TO BE HIGH.

AND LET'S SAY ALL OF THOSE THINGS COME OUT POSITIVE, YOU STILL FEEL STRESS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT PROCESS, AND THEN ONCE YOU GET DONE WITH THAT, YOU HAVE ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO SAY, OH WE HAD A GOOD YEAR AND NOW THEY'RE LOOKING AT GOING TO GET ANOTHER OPERATING LOAN.

>> Cathy: SAY, TED, STRESS IS ALWAYS THERE AND I'M WONDERING, TED, DOES THAT THEN PLAY INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL SUICIDE RATES IN RURAL AMERICA?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THERE IS NO TIME WHEN FARMERS AREN'T STRESSED, AND THEY'RE ISOLATED.

OFTENTIMES THEY DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO TURN, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, I STILL REMEMBER WHEN I WORKED FOR FEMA, I WAS THERE FOR A YEAR AND I GOT A CALL FROM THE FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTOR AND ASKED ME IF WE WORKED WITH FARMERS AND I LOOKED ON OUR RECORDS AND NOT ONE FARMER HAD VER CALLED IN IN A YEAR, WHICH MEANS FARMERS DON'T CALL PSYCHOLOGISTS.

SO WHAT WE HAD TO DO IS IDENTIFY IT AS FARMERS CALLED TED, THEY'RE COMFORTABLE DOING THAT, AND SO HAT WAS ALWAYS THE PREMISE.

THAT LET'S JUST CALL TED, HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO, RATHER THAN LET'S CALL A PSYCHOLOGIST BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY WRONG WITH YOU AND GOING ON FROM THERE.

SO, YES, HIGH STRESS ALL THE WAY AROUND, BUT OME PEOPLE HANDLE STRESS REALLY WELL, AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T, AND THAT'S NOT BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM, THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT.

>> Cathy: EXACTLY.

>> SO I ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT PEOPLE FOCUS ON TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES BY IDENTIFYING WHO THEY ARE, NOT WHO THEY SHOULD BE, NOT WHO OTHER PEOPLE WANT THEM TO BE.

>> Cathy: SURE.

>> BUT WHO THEY ARE AND FOCUS ON HOW DO I DEVELOP A BETTER MENTAL HEALTH AND NOT THE CONCEPT OF THIS GENERIC "WE" SOMETHING, THAT JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR PEOPLE AND DEFINITELY DOESN'T WORK FOR FARMERS.

>> Cathy: AND I'M WONDERING, TED, DO YOU FEEL THE 40 YEARS YOU'VE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS THAT THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL HEALTH MAYBE HAS EASED A BIT GIVEN THE ATTENTION WE NOW HAVE AROUND THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH?

>> I THINK IT'S GOTTEN BETTER, BUT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I SEE IS PEOPLE STILL LOOK AT MENTAL HEALTH AS MENTAL ILLNESS.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, HEY DON'T -- IF I FEEL LIKE IT'S MENTAL HEALTH THEN I WOULD WANT TO BE HEALTHIER.

BUT IF I FEEL LIKE IT'S MENTAL ILLNESS, THEN THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME.

SO I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE FOCUS ON TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF BETTER, FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU CAN DO, AND FRANKLY, BEING NICE TO YOURSELF.

WE'RE REALLY GOOD OFTEN TIMES AT BEING NICE TO OTHER PEOPLE, NOT VERY GOOD AT BEING NICE TO OURSELF.

FOCUS ON BEING NICER TO YOURSELF AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE AND NOT WHAT THE GENERIC CONCEPT OF THAT IS.

>> Eric: WHAT DOES RETIREMENT HOLD FOR YOU NOW?

WHAT'S ON THE DOCKET TO DO?

>> Cathy: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE NICE TO YOURSELF?

>> OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY, I TELL PEOPLE THIS BECAUSE IT'S THE TRUTH.

IF I CAN TELL YOU WHAT TIME "BONANZA" IS ON, SHOOT ME.

I WILL BE DOING SOMETHING, JUST NOT AT THE LEVEL THAT I'VE BEEN DOING AT, I'M JUST GETTING TOO OLD FOR THAT.

I'M 78 AND I HAVE LOVED EVERY DAY THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND I CANNOT GIVE YOU -- ONE THING THAT JUST I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SAY S WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF AG, THEY ARE AWESOME PEOPLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE REPUBLICANS AND THE DEMOCRATS IN THE AG COMMITTEE, THEY ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE, BOTH PARTIES.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

>> AND THEY ALWAYS GET THINGS DONE AND THEY GET IT DONE FASTER THAN ANY OF THE OTHER ONES AND THAT'S WHY, BECAUSE THEY WORK TOGETHER.

>> Eric: WISH WE HAD MORE TIME.

CONGRATULATIONS ON CAREER, HAVE A GREAT TIME IN RETIREMENT.