Up until spring 2022, Jeff Corle identified as a fourth-generation dairy farmer tending to his herd of Guernsey cows in Somerset County. But that year, “economic pressures had just caught up to us, and I made the most difficult decision of my life.”
He sold his “beloved and beautiful” cows.
“I said to the cows, ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it’s come to this, and I’m sorry that somehow I couldn’t have been better and figured out some way to keep this thing going,’” said Corle. “I must have led a charmed life up until that moment, because I honestly didn’t know you could experience so much pain.”
In his bedroom, Corle said he had two items leaning against the wall: a loaded shotgun and a guitar. Picking up the latter brought him unexpected fame when he recorded and released “Empty Barn,” a song he wrote to process his own emotions.
Now, Corle tours as a musician, raising awareness and funds for mental health advocacy work in the agricultural space.
He visibly struggled to share his story before an audience Wednesday that included legislators, farmers and 4-H competitors. The state Senate and House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committees held a joint hearing to discuss ways to support farmers through mental health crises during the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.
Farmer suicide rates are significantly higher than the rates for the overall population, as detailed by the American Farm Bureau. The profession also has higher rates of depression anxiety and substance use when compared to non-farmers.
“People are more than statistics. It is safe to say that most people involved in agriculture know at least one person who has struggled,” said Lisa Wherry, a Pennsylvania Farm Bureau member.
Grant cuts in Pennsylvania
Guiding efforts like the organization’s Farm State of Mind, the Penn State Extension services’ Farm Stress Team works statewide to spread the word about available resources, but are hindered by slow broadband speeds and a shortage of rural health providers.
But mental health and addiction advocates got a shock Tuesday night when the Trump administration terminated an unknown number of grants distributed through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to be worth around $2 billion nationwide.
Richard Edly, the president and CEO of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA), which advocates for mental health and substance abuse treatment providers in Pennsylvania, said the letters came without warning.
Three members Edly spoke to Wednesday afternoon reported losing nearly $4 million dollars.
“No one got any heads up,” he said. “One provider said, ‘We have a three-year contract that we have all staffed up,’” but no money to run the program.
The SAMHSA grants are awarded to both county governments, which are the primary providers of public mental health services, and private contractors that offer services on behalf of the counties.
Melanie Gordon, who oversees human services and criminal justice policy for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said it remained unclear Wednesday whether the cuts were limited to substance abuse treatment programs in Pennsylvania.
“What programs are going to be affected is what we’re trying to wrap our hands around,” Gordon said.
RCPA’s national affiliate, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, on Wednesday asked its members that received notices their grants were terminated to report it to the organization. It also asked groups to contact their U.S. representatives and senators.
Edly said the Trump administration’s move was “nonsensical” to him and the political goals unclear. He noted that the administration has rolled back sweeping funding cuts in response to political pressure or legal action.
“Are we contacting legislators in Washington just to complain or is there a feeling this can still be impacted?” he asked. “This is really bad, but in Washington there’s always another inning.”
Many demands, few funds
Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to millions of dollars invested in student health care and county-level services through the state budget, but acknowledged its limitations. He noted that several federal programs had been cut in the last year, including nutrition assistance and Medicaid.
“I have said it over and over and over again. We cannot backfill that. We cannot make that up,” said Shapiro. “The consequences of these federal actions are real, and it’s going to hurt Pennsylvanians.
“We’ll make the investments we can make, but we cannot backfill the cuts that they’re making in (Washington) D.C.”
Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-Beaver), the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who oversaw the meeting on mental health, noted that tariffs levied against foreign states had added to the stress felt by Pennsylvania’s farmers.
“It took us four or five years the last time (President Donald Trump) put tariffs on China to get our soybean exports back … and now they’re gone again,” said Vogel, whose family farm has existed for over 100 years.
He pointed to continued partnerships with organizations like the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau or Penn State to meet the needs of farmers, but acknowledged the budgetary restrictions that come with that.
“There were $70-some million worth of requests, and we had $10-15 million worth of money to give out,” said Vogel about the budget process. “The need is there. We just have to find the money to be able to fulfill all these requests.”
In the meantime, farmer-turned-musician Jeff Corle said he’d found some success sharing his story with others and in just being vulnerable.
“I don’t know if we can solve the economic problems today, but if there’s anything we can do for our fellow farmers, it’s to be there,” said Corle.
