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Somerset farmer’s viral song and peer outreach spotlight farmer stress
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Summary
Somerset County farmer Jeff Cole told the Agriculture & Rural Affairs committee how closing his family dairy in 2022 led to depression and inspired his song 'Empty Barn,' which he said opened doors for peer conversations; Cole urged farmer‑to‑farmer visibility and announced a Barnstorming Tour to raise funds and awareness.
Jeff Cole, a fourth‑generation Somerset County dairy farmer turned mental‑health advocate, told legislators and witnesses at a Pennsylvania Farm Show hearing that closing his dairy in 2022 led to deep grief and a period of depression. Cole said he chose to channel that pain into a song, "Empty Barn," which he said resonated widely and helped other farmers speak about loss.
Cole described the visceral moment of selling the herd—"When the last of the cows, my stubborn little Dolly, was finally loaded onto the trailer ... it literally felt as though something had been ripped out of me"—and said the response to his song showed him the power of farmer‑to‑farmer connection. He urged peers and leaders to adopt direct, empathetic language: "It's okay, by the way, to not be okay."
Cole said storytelling and in‑person events can break stigma. He described plans for a Barnstorming Tour across farms to raise money and awareness and said he is partnering with Rural Minds to organize concerts and youth writing contests through 4‑H and FFA to encourage young people to share experiences.
Farm groups at the hearing described complementary resources: Lisa Wherry of the Washington County Farm Bureau highlighted the Farm State of Mind initiative and said it now offers no‑cost online counseling via the Together All platform and national hotlines for anonymity and accessibility. Penn State Extension described training and outreach that bring suicide‑prevention messaging and referral resources to production events, podcasts and field days so farmers encounter help in trusted settings.
Why this matters: witnesses told the committee that peer visibility, trusted outreach and accessible, anonymous counseling fill gaps where clinical services are scarce and stigma is high. Lawmakers and witnesses urged combining storytelling and peer outreach with stable funding, training for frontline workers and structural policy measures to reduce long‑term stressors.
The hearing closed with committee members thanking presenters and calling for follow‑up coordination; no formal votes were taken on policy measures during the session.
