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Farmer and farmworker suicide rates remain high in the U.S., according to University of Iowa study

Study found suicide rates in agriculture higher than other occupations

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Two hundred and thirty members of America’s agricultural community committed suicide between 1992 and 2010, according to a new study from the University of Iowa.

The study, ‘Trends and Characteristics of Occupational Suirice in Farmers and Agriculture Workers,’ examined 19 years of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatality.

The study points to different types of stress as factors that could lead a farmer to self-harm.

“Farmers feel occupational stress for many reasons, including management of own company, self-reliance, personal illness, diseases in crop or livestock, long work days…and weather,” the study said. “(Researchers) state that loneliness and isolation was a risk factor in suicide in the farm setting (and) that farmers reporting high stress were almost two times as likely to experience a serious injury in comparison to farmers experiencing low or moderate stress.”

Regionally, farmers in the West accounted for 43 percent of suicides. The Midwest accounted for 37 percent followed by the South at 13 percent and Northeast at 6 percent.

And compared to all other occupations, agriculture’s suicide rate is the highest, according to the study.

In 2009, there were 12 farmer or farmworker suicides, which translated to a rate of about 0.59 per 100,000.

All other occupations reported 263 suicides in 2009, or a rate of about 0.19 per 100,000.

There are a variety of resources available for people in need, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and different hotlines within each state.


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Highlight quote: "Increasing levels of oxidized fats in swine diets reduced the efficiency of feed utilization, increased mortality, and led to more pigs being classified as culls, reducing the number of full-value pigs entering the finishing barns."

Meet the guest: Dr. David Rosero / davidrosero is an assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. His research program focuses on conducting applied research on swine nutrition and the practical application of smart farming. He previously served as the technical officer for The Hanor Company, overseeing nutrition, research, and innovation efforts.