Stress can be quietly devastating for farmers and ranchers. The new documentary 鈥楲egacy鈥� looks at how to fix that

In The NoCo

Stress can be quietly devastating for farmers and ranchers. The new documentary 鈥楲egacy鈥� looks at how to fix that

By In The NoCo,

Published September 17, 2024 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A farmer is seen in silhouette through a bar door with a tractor in the background. "It's really difficult to dig yourself out of your own hole of mental health; and if you have this attitude of, 'I can fix it myself,' then you're probably not going to talk to somebody about it," says documentary filmmaker Steve Vanderheide. His new film "Legacy" explores the unique mental health concerns Colorado farmers and ranchers face, and their challenges in finding help. — "It's really difficult to dig yourself out of your own hole of mental health; and if you have this attitude of, 'I can fix it myself,' then you're probably not going to talk to somebody about it," says documentary filmmaker Steve Vanderheide. His new film "Legacy" explores the unique mental health concerns Colorado farmers and ranchers face, and their challenges in finding help.

Being a farmer or rancher in Colorado means living with uncertainty on a daily basis. Hailstorms, drought and insects can wipe out an entire season of crops. Diseases and predators can devastate livestock without warning.

And then there are other pressures, like holding onto a farm or ranch that鈥檚 been in the family for generations so it can be passed on to future family members. Experts say these stresses add up to an almost silent mental health crisis for the agriculture community.

A new documentary film that explores this crisis will screen this weekend at the Breckenridge Film Festival.

shares the stories of several Colorado farmers and ranchers who speak openly about the toll their livelihood can take on their mental health, and why they often struggle to ask for help.

Director Steve Vanderheide joined host Erin O鈥橳oole to share more about the project 鈥� and how training more mental health professionals to work with patients in rural areas is crucial.

Legacy screens Saturday, Sept. 21 at the . You can find the full schedule .

Find more information about the Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program (CAAMHP) at .

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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