Cultivating Connection: Courtney Gerace’s Mental Health Journey
By Anna Holmes
Louisiana Farm Bureau News
For Courtney Gerace, life looked like everything she had ever hoped for – a growing family, a role in agriculture, and a life rooted in purpose. But behind that reality, she was quietly struggling.
“Being a mom, being a wife, that was everything I had ever prayed for,” Gerace said. “And there came a day when I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
In agriculture, where long hours, financial pressures and uncertainty are often part of the job, conversations around mental health are not always easy to have. For Gerace, the pressures of family life combined with the financial and emotional demands of farming made those struggles even heavier.
According to a 2019 American Farm Bureau Federation poll, farmers and farm workers say financial issues, farm or business problems, and fear of losing the farm impact farmers’ mental health the most.
“The farm isn’t all tractors and fields. It’s a lot of business decisions, recordkeeping and information to implement,” Gerace said. “Farming is like your normal life, times ten.”
Gerace described how the weight of that pressure can become overwhelming, affecting her daily routine during those times.
“I can’t think clearly, I can’t function, I’m not here for my husband and my kids and our farm,” Gerace said.
Nationally, farmers are less likely to seek mental health support, and 60% of rural Americans live in areas with provider shortages, limiting access to care.
For Gerace, the hardest part wasn’t finding help but asking for it. With the support of her husband, she was able to seek help and begin her journey toward healing, finding a sense of relief.
“Every part of me is yelling, ‘ask for help,’ and the words just won’t come out,” Gerace said. “Talking about it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But there’s a real freedom that comes with saying ‘I’m not okay.’”
Through her journey, Gerace began to recognize that her story was not unique in her community. After helping lead a mental health survey among Louisiana Farm Bureau members, the response was clear: many others were unaware of available resources.
Many respondents to the Louisiana Farm Bureau mental health survey said they would take advantage of mental health services, either for themselves or as support for others.
These responses and realities motivated Gerace to act, leading to the development of Louisiana Farm Bureau’s mental health initiative, Cultivating Connection. What began as a casual conversation quickly evolved into a mission to create space for accessible resources and meaningful support.
“We want to connect you and anyone who may need it to resources. Overwhelmingly, we’re at the point where we just want it to be a conversation,” Gerace said.
Change doesn’t start with resources alone. The initiative shifts its focus to connection and the importance of relying on friends, family, and neighbors for support and guidance.
“We are encouraging that interpersonal connection,” Gerace said. “When you start stepping in to visit and make connections, you realize ‘I’m not so different’ or ‘I’m not alone.’”
Cultivating Connection aims to turn awareness into action. Gerace continues to share her story in hopes of inspiring others to reach out and start the conversation.
“My biggest ask is if you or someone you love or know is struggling, you take that hard step,” Gerace said. “If you can do that, everything unfolds the way it’s supposed to from there.”
Gerace and Cultivating Connection’s message is simple, but impactful: connection matters.
“Someone is there to help. That human connection is the most important thing we have in life,” Gerace said. “If it helps one person, then this work is worth it.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, call the “988” Lifeline or visit https://lafarmbureau.org/mentalhealth to learn about the resources available.