Dr. Val Farmer
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Rural Mental Health & Family Relationships
  1. Val Farmer 35 Years of Counseling
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  3. III. Farm Crisis and Stress

5. Loss of Farm - Life after Farming

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    Articles

    Decision To Quit Agriculture Being Made Thoughtfully (August 1998)

    Dr. Farmer, why is this a tough year in agriculture? Low prices. Low yields. Diseased crops in this region. Record amounts of grains and protein on the market. This year the Asian crisis has deflated demand. Drought in other parts of the country. In the big picture, technology is the main force in reducing the number of farmers and ranchers.

    On a personal level, how does this year compare with past years in agriculture? How tough is it? I've had farmers come to see ...

    Life After Farming Can Have A Soft Landing (November 1997)

    Did you know that 80 to 85 percent of ex-farm families make successful transitions and are happy with their lives a few short years after leaving farming? It's true. It is a tribute to human resiliency and coping that people can adjust their liv

    Helping Farmers Make A Transition (June 1999)

    The global economy creates opportunities and hardships. With technological advances in agriculture, the marketplace is highly competitive and favors high/volume, low/cost producers. This economic reality along with favorable growing conditions worldwide for the past few years has resulted in many basic food surpluses and consequently low prices.

    Two Poems From The Heartland (March 2000)
    Two poems about farming; one farmer describes leaving farming while the other describes the motivations for farming that go far beyond making a living.
    Ex-Farmer Talks About Leaving Farming, Going To College (September 2000)
    Thsi column describes the life experiences of one farm woman as she finds a new life after farming. She describes her new life and how she learned to adjust.
    Leaving The Farm For The City  (January 2001)
    This article shares the feelings of people who made the transition from rural life to city life. This also highlights the positive and negative changes people go through when they leave farming.
    Loss Of A Farm Is Like A Death  (March 2002)
    This article draws comparisons between the emotions of grieving the loss of a loved one and the loss of a family farm. Many of the processes are parallel and explain the reactions of a farm family displaced off of a family farm.
    Former Farmers Give Advice (October 2002)
    This article was taken from a Master's Thesis by Josh Frazier at North Dakota State University. He interviewed 16 farm couples who had left farming for various reasons. Their stories are powerful and give insight into the process of grief and loss. This article contains advice they want other farmers to know who are feeling the pressures of farm finances.
    Transcript Of Former Farmers' Advice (October 2002)
    This article contains the verbatim transcripts of advice shared by former farmers as they reflected on their experience. The transcripts were used by permission from Josh Frazier who compiled them in his Master's Thesis on Farmers Experiencing Crisis and Loss.
    Do We Get Out Of Farming? (February 2004)
    This article deals with how the emotions that go with farming may influence on partner toward denial. The spouse wanting to be loyal and supportive is faced with a dilemma. How does he or she break through the denial without causing a marital crisis? Dr. Farmer offers a few ideas on how to move the situation forward so the farm couple can be united in their approach to the crisis.