Helping farmers Bloom in Ag with tools for their books and support for their burdens.
Helping farmers Bloom in Ag with tools for their books and support for their burdens.
Watch Erica Barnes Fields share expert insights on farm financial stress and mental health with U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford and Seth Summerside through the Hope for Harvest conversation.

Southern Ag Today publishes daily peer-reviewed articles on Southern agriculture, produced by 13 universities with Texas A&M and Arkansas leadership. Featured here are Erica Barnes Fields’ published articles.
September 29, 2025
Tune in to the Fryar Center’s Morning Coffee and Ag Markets Podcast, featuring Ryan Loy and Erica Barnes Fields on rate cuts, farm stress, and red-flag warning signs. The podcast link is below.
Morning Coffee and Ag Markets Podcast Episode 63 (mp3)
DownloadA Guide for Families, Friends, and Ag Community Stakeholders
Farmers are more than producers; they are caretakers of generational land, providers for their families, pillars of their communities, and routinely deeply grounded in faith. For them, farming is more than an occupation - it's a calling, an identity, and a generational legacy. When financial stress becomes overwhelming, it threatens far more than the farm - it can drain hope, strain relationships, cloud a sense of purpose and shatter emotional well-being.
Una Guía para Familias y Miembros de la Comunidad Agrícola
Los agricultores son más que productores; son cuidadores de tierras
generacionales, proveedores para sus familias, pilares de sus comunidades y, en muchas ocasiones están profundamente arraigados a la fe. Para ellos, la agricultura es más que una ocupación: es una vocación, es su identidad y un legado generacional. Cuando el estrés financiero se vuelve abrumador, puede amenazar más que a la estabilidad de la granja: puede hacer perder la esperanza, crear tensión en las relaciones personales, nublar el sentido de propósito y destrozar el bienestar emocional.
Identifying Financial and Seasonal Stress in Farmers
This publication helps identify financial and seasonal stress during the post-harvest months—when cash flow tightens and emotional strain often increases.
As winter sets in, reduced activity, isolation, and rising financial demands create a vulnerable period for many producers. This resource provides awareness and tools to help navigate this season and protect both well-being and the operation.
Responding to Financial and Seasonal Stress in Farmers
This publication offers practical, research-supported strategies to help farmers and ranchers navigate the post-harvest season with clarity and confidence.
As the fields rest, the demands shift—from physical labor to financial decisions, planning, and reflection. This resource provides simple, actionable steps to reduce seasonal stress, protect mental well-being, and strengthen financial stability—helping producers manage both the books and the burdens during the off-season.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.