Hurst Marchant Mental Health A Concern After This Winter

This spring is shaping up to be a challenging one, mentally for many wheat growers in Idaho.  Britany Hurst Marchant, Executive Director of Idaho Wheat said this winter has been difficult for many in the farming, but especially for wheat growers.  She noted many regions specifically in the eastern part of the state still have snow and ice or are very wet, pushing field work back.  That means a lot of producers are a few weeks behind schedule.

"There is a little bit of stress there.  You add to that input costs, you add to that just the general unknowns of of farming, and it gets to be a little heavy.”

While many challenges lie before growers, Hurst Marchant is confident that growers will make 2023 a good year.

“Farmers they take these risks every year and every year they keep planting and they're very resilient and just really an incredible group of people to keep doing what they do in the face of so much risk and so many unknowns.”

Hurst Marchant added farmers can feel isolated alone, so you recommended checking in on your neighbors from time to time, just to make sure everyone and everything is OK.

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