Wyoming Symposium Highlights Mental Health Needs Amid Wildfires and Drought

The impact of Wyoming’s recent wildfires and drought has heightened awareness of the mental health challenges facing the state’s agricultural community, the Fence Post reports.

At the First Wyoming Agricultural Stress Symposium, held November 13-14 at the University of Wyoming’s Agricultural Resource and Learning Center in Casper, the focus was on reducing the stigma around mental health and providing support for individuals facing emotional distress due to these environmental hardships.

A partnership of multiple agencies, including the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, University of Wyoming Extension, and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, joined forces to host the event. Alongside agriculture producers and behavioral health experts, they shared a clear message:

“We’ve got to diminish the stigma associated with ag stressors, and help others realize we don’t just pick ourselves up by the bootstraps.”

The symposium emphasized that asking for help when facing mental and emotional challenges is a crucial part of addressing agricultural stress. Donna Hoffman, an agriculture and natural resources educator with the University of Wyoming Extension, stressed that mental health should be treated as any other form of healthcare. Hoffman, who lost her father to suicide in 2020, is passionate about reducing the stigma surrounding mental health in agriculture.

“There is that mindset that some people look down on those who have mental health stressors, but everybody has stressors, and mental health is like any other health care… If our heart isn’t functioning, you go to a cardiologist. Same with mental health,” Hoffman said.

A key tool shared at the symposium was the COMET program (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory), which has been implemented in states like Colorado. The program focuses on early intervention and equipping individuals with the skills to recognize and respond to signs of behavioral health distress before they escalate into crises.

Chad Reznicek, a licensed professional counselor and behavioral health state specialist with the Colorado AgrAbility Project, highlighted the importance of fostering connections.

“Just by having conversations and connecting with someone in whatever situation they are facing, they learn there are people who care about them and they’re not alone,” he explained.

COMET-trained individuals can bring this message back to their communities through free 90-minute training sessions.

The need for these conversations became particularly urgent in the wake of Wyoming’s severe summer wildfires and drought. Wildfires across northern and western Campbell County, as well as other regions, scorched thousands of acres of land, with significant cattle and sheep losses reported. The House Draw Fire, which spread across more than 174,000 acres, was one of the most destructive.

In addition to the fires, Wyoming faced one of the most extreme droughts in recent memory. For much of October, the state was entirely under drought conditions, with some areas experiencing the worst drought levels (D4) since 2013. While conditions have improved slightly with recent rainfall, the dry weather left vegetation vulnerable, contributing to the intensity of the wildfires.

Amid these challenges, the symposium also encouraged those in the agricultural community to take proactive steps in addressing mental health concerns.

“When someone is hurting emotionally or grieving, people often say ‘I’m sorry, and you’re in my prayers,’ but if somebody can say something that really resonates to you, and is specific to the person you lost or to you, it makes a difference,” said Hoffman.

By acknowledging the individual rather than the group, it helps people feel seen and supported.

Chad Reznicek added that combating feelings of isolation is crucial, as two of the biggest suicide risk factors are a sense of being alone and a feeling of being a burden.

“Anything we can do to allow people to feel connected and valued helps create that safety net,” he said.

Looking ahead, there is an ongoing effort to connect agricultural communities with resources aimed at alleviating both the emotional and financial strains of farming and ranching. Hoffman and other advocates emphasize the importance of continuing these conversations and providing support to farmers and ranchers as they recover from the difficult summer.

As Lucy Pauley from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture pointed out, collaboration is key.

“At our next roundtable in mid-December, I’d like to hear how we can partner together and get some of these ideas up and running,” she said.

The Wyoming Agricultural Stress Symposium served as an important step in raising awareness about mental health in the state’s agricultural community, with a collective commitment to providing resources and fostering an environment of understanding and support.

“It’s much better to have a conversation now, than to wait and be taking a casserole over to the family later,” Donna Hoffman said.