When McKenna Reichling was 17 years old, she lost her older brother, Myles, to suicide. Although she was still in high school, she realized the critical importance of mental health and decided to take better care of her own. Since then, she has stepped into a vital role as “an advocate for my family, for myself, and for our whole community to promote mental health and resilience.”
An Interconnected Web
Overall well-being relies on an interconnected balance of physical, mental, and social health. As Reichling explains, when the mind suffers, the body follows. “Mental health is just as important as physical health,” she says. “The daily routines we practice to care for our physical bodies should apply to our mental well-being, too.”
Reichling is actively pushing back against the deep-seated stigma in the agricultural community that views mental health struggles as a sign of weakness. “It’s crucial that we start open conversations so others feel comfortable seeking help,” she emphasizes, adding that stress comes in all forms, and no struggle is too small or too large to address.
Breaking the Cycle of Normalized Stress
Raised on a fourth-generation family farm, Reichling has spent her life around farmers. She saw firsthand the heavy burdens farmers carry, and how normalized that burden had become. “I’ve seen it become a way of life,” Reichling reflects. “‘It’s just how it is,’ is what I was always told.”
With her background in healthcare, Reichling knew stress didn’t have to be passively accepted. Driven to create change, she began developing strategies and advocacy efforts to make tough conversations easier for farming families.
Putting Passion Into Action: The Farmer Angel Network
Today, Reichling puts her mission into practice as the chapter founder of the Farmer Angel Network in Southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 2018 in South Central Wisconsin, the organization now partners with DATCP’s Farmer Wellness Program to reach rural communities statewide, focusing on mental wellness and local resilience.
Through this partnership, farmers have access to a 24/7 Wisconsin Farmer Wellness hotline. No matter the situation, callers are connected with responders who share an agricultural background and truly understand the demands of farming.
The organization also provides specialized counseling services. To learn more, visit farmerangelnetwork.com.
