Farmers are especially at risk for burnout
Sometimes, when Rob Stone is on a drive with his family, he finds himself scrolling Marketplace, looking for tractors.
Like many farmers, he says he can find it hard to draw a line between work and downtime.
“We’re terrible in agriculture. We kind of wear it as a badge of honour … that we’re always thinking about farming,” says Stone, a fourth-generation farmer near Davidson, Sask.
Further blurring the lines, he says farmers often choose agriculture-related leisure activities.
“Finding healthy hobbies outside of that can be really difficult. You still want to have agriculture as your hobby, but … there’s times when it would be nice to just think about something else.”
As common as that mindset may be, experts say it’s also contributing to a growing risk of burnout among Canadian farmers.
In recent years, researchers have shifted their understanding of burnout, defined as a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, away from simply being tired toward a broader imbalance between demands and recovery, caused by prolonged stress.
This evolving understanding means that farmers who have trouble keeping work and recovery time separate — a problem only intensified by our constant connectivity — are even more at risk, says Dr. Jody Carrington, a clinical psychologist based in Olds, Alta., who has strong ties to the agriculture sector.
“We are the first generation of farmers who wake up to our phones,” she says. “Before we even check if anybody’s calving or ‘is it raining today,’ I’m in my email. When you check your email before you even pee, your cortisol rises.”
But at the same time, awareness of these risks is growing.
After nearly three decades of farming, Stone says he has experienced and witnessed burnout firsthand, prompting him to rethink what it takes to build a sustainable life in agriculture. As a result, he has come up with several tried and tested strategies for doing so.
And as another busy season launches — and as burnout rates spike in agriculture, alongside other mental health issues — experts say that strategies like Stone’s will be critical for the sustainability of a sector uniquely exposed to chronic pressure and unpredictable risk.
The latest research on causes of burnout
The latest research on burnout tells us that the problem is a lot more complex than it once was.
It’s no longer just about being physically tired, or too busy, or having a tough year, but rather what happens when there’s an imbalance between what drains you and what restores you, says Carrington.
“Essentially, the definition is when the resources outside of work intended to fill your soul are not greater than the ones that get sucked from your soul at work.”
Burnout tends to show up in three ways: emotional exhaustion, a loss of compassion and a growing sense of futility, she says, which leads to further problems.
“They just don’t continue to work. We lose access to innovation, to creativity, to purpose, passion, all those things go offline,” says Carrington.
For Stone, that definition rings true. He says in his experience, burnout on the farm usually comes from a cumulative stress load that builds over time.
“Mental and physical exhaustion is probably a far more common thing for people than they realize. It just absolutely destroys everything. You can’t operate properly … all that stuff that comes with absolute exhaustion in your mind and in your body.”
And while farmers are at greater risk of burnout, this growing problem isn’t unique to the agriculture sector. Data from 2024 showed that 41 per cent of people around the world experienced significant stress at work each day, while other recent data suggested one in two North American workers have symptoms of burnout.
At the same time, rising rates of anxiety and depression among Canadian farmers point to something broader, Carrington says.
“We’re in an understandable human response to a loneliness epidemic,” she says.
Why farmers are especially at risk
With burnout rates rising across industries, the question becomes: what is driving this?
And, specifically, what is driving this within the agriculture sector?
One factor is isolation, especially as farms grow larger and more mechanized, Carrington says.
Technology has also reshaped the workday, improving on-farm efficiency but also increasing time spent working alone.
“You don’t have small family farms anymore. You used to be able to seed together, harvest together,” she says, adding that farms are also moving physically further apart as well. “Just the lack of proximity to each other … we lose access to each other.”
At the same time, Stone says burnout can stem from farmers trying to do everything themselves, especially as operations grow in size and complexity.
“I was kind of a ‘I’ll just do it myself so that it’s done properly’ guy,” says Stone.
Overlaying all of this is a deeply ingrained culture of toughness within the agriculture sector, he says.
“There’s lots of ‘Just suck it up, just drink some more energy drinks and coffee, you work harder and it’ll be fine’,” he says. “There’s still a significant stigma.”
Carrington says that mindset can be especially dangerous in a sector where many already struggle to talk openly about stress, believing that showing emotion signals weakness.
“We’re proud of it, that we’re tough,” she says, adding that this has contributed to a culture of not asking for help when it’s needed.
“It has been the most unhelped … group of people, because we didn’t need it.”
What farmers can do to prevent burnout
The good news is that the agriculture sector is talking more openly about these types of issues.
There is growing awareness about the mental health challenges that the agriculture sector faces, and growing resources to help address them.
Stone has developed his own coping strategies for preventing burnout. He says it starts with letting go of the idea that a good farmer has to do everything alone.
After years of employing this approach (to make sure the work was done “properly”), he says he started to see that this mindset was actually damaging, not admirable, especially as his farm grew in complexity.
“Once you start realizing that there is no prize for doing it all yourself, and there’s no prize for just being ragged … it’s certainly helped quite a lot.”
As a result, he has learned to intentionally build a team around him, offload responsibilities and redefine his own role. For example, although he has a degree in agronomy, he now hires an agronomist for support because he just doesn’t have time for this type of work.
“You become more of a … human resource manager as well as a farmer,” he says. “You shouldn’t feel bad about finding what your spot is.”
At the same time, he says he’s learned to let go of expectations around how things should be done and focus on the things within his control, for example, maintaining all the farm equipment.
“You’ve done the job of … making sure that all the details are taken care of so that you have the most efficient operation that you can. Once you’ve done all you can do, I think it’s a little easier to let go. You do have to have that ability to let certain things go … to let people do it their way and not stew about it too much,” says Stone.
Another key change he has made has been treating rest as part of the job, not something that comes after it. He approaches busy seasons less like a sprint and more like a marathon that requires pacing.
“We’ve certainly had more conversations now about boundaries, making sure that everyone can get some rest. There’s no prize for being the person who works the longest, has the most hours. It’s feeling rested and feeling good about the job you’re doing.”
He says at the core of it all is the simple principle that taking care of your own well-being comes first.
“There’s nothing so important on your farm or in your life that you (can’t) look after yourself.”
Carrington echoes Stone’s comments about ensuring self-care is a top priority.
“A tractor will stop if you don’t put gas in it. Even if you coast, even if you go slow, you’re the same way.”
Another priority should be regulating the nervous system and rebuilding connections, she says, and this includes even small efforts each day.
“How many times are you given a compliment in a day? How many times are you waving at your neighbours?”
The good news
Despite these risks, Carrington says there are a lot of aspects of farm culture that can serve as safeguards against isolation and help nurture connections and joy.
For one, she believes that rural life has long been and continues to be defined by a deep sense of community.
“When somebody’s barn breaks down, we’re all going to show up. If somebody has a heart attack during harvest, we’re all coming together to get the crop off.”
She believes that farmers can lean into these communities when they’re starting to feel the effects of long-term stress.
“We have the answer to how to cure it. We’ve just got to keep doing that a little bit more.”
She also encourages farmers to reconnect with the meaning and personal connections that come from their work.
“Who is my biggest mentor in this space? Who did I look up to? What did they do well? Why do I want to do this stuff anyway?”
For Stone, that meaning shows up in family, teamwork and connections, both on and off the farm. He also believes that social media, despite its downsides, has created a broader sense of community among farmers.
And in more recent years, he’s encouraged by how much the conversation around mental health has changed.
“There’s been lots of talk about this topic. There’s been so much headway made in the last five to 10 years. I think it’s important to continue.”
Finally, Carrington says it’s important for farmers to lean into the simple things around them that can spark joy, or notice what’s often overlooked.
“When is the last time you belly laughed with your babies? When is the last time you danced in your kitchen sober? Sunrise in Saskatchewan, (that’s) a little slice of heaven,” she says.
