We talk about it more now than ever before — mental health in production agriculture. And the conversation includes Wisconsin farmers. Jeff Ditzenberger is the founder of TUGS, a support system that he created from his personal experiences with mental health. His story has moved to a bigger stage, including the film “Greener Pastures” coming to PBS on Monday, March 25: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/greener-pastures/

“Greener Pastures” captures the day-to-day lives of four small, multigenerational family farms over four years. It examines various farm stressors, policies, and politics farmers must maneuver to survive, connecting the dots between mental health, industrialization, food production, and climate change.

Ditzenberger invites families to watch the premiere and talk openly about mental health. He jokes it’s not all “doom and gloom,” saying there’s a message of hope at the end.

Image courtesy of “Greener Pastures” documentary trailer.