Washington state lost 3,700 farms between 2017 and 2022, an average of two farms per day. That’s according to the USDA Census of Agriculture and in the recently released “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention for Agricultural Producers and Workers Report” compiled by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Center Square said the report cites many factors, including the rising cost of agricultural production. “Economic hardship is one element that has the potential to make mental health risks worse,” the report said. “For example, due to the high need for loans, borrowers are required to tolerate high financial risk.” Washington State Representative Tom Dent, who secured funding for the report, said, “What some of us have known is that we’re being overregulated,” said Dent, who owns a farm outside of Moses Lake, Washington. “We’ve regulated our producers into an unaffordable place to be, right?” Washington’s suicide rate consistently exceeds the national average.
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