FFA Champ Spotlights Mental Health in Ag Industry

An Olney High School junior and two-time champion stock show competitor used a recent school board meeting to spotlight an issue she says is often overlooked in agriculture: mental health.

Marlee Lane addressed the Olney ISD Board of Trustees on Jan. 26, delivering the speech she recently presented during competition at the Young County Junior Livestock Show as part of the commercial steer contest, which simulates real-world feedlot operations.

Ms. Lane competes in a rigorous program that requires students to manage two steers, track daily feed costs and weight gain, calculate profit and loss, and defend their decisions through testing, interviews, and live judging. At the San Antonio Stock Show, cattle are evaluated using ultrasound and later graded for carcass quality after harvest.

For the second consecutive year, Ms. Lane focused her speech on mental health and suicide awareness in agriculture.

“Struggling in silence does not make someone strong,” Ms. Lane told trustees. “It makes them vulnerable.”

Ms. Lane cited national statistics showing suicide is the second-leading cause of death among youth and noted that farmers and ranchers experience suicide rates significantly higher than the national average. She pointed to industry pressures such as volatile markets, weather, disease, rising input costs, and cultural expectations to endure hardship without asking for help.

Ms. Lane said those pressures affect not only adults but young people involved in agriculture, who often balance school, competition, and family expectations tied to generational operations.

“The future of the cattle industry depends on strong, healthy people — not just physically, but mentally,” she said.

Board members asked Ms. Lane detailed questions about cattle health, feeding regimens, medications, daily weight gain, and profit calculations. Ms. Lane explained her feeding strategy, daily record keeping, and how animals are evaluated both live and post-harvest.

Trustees praised Ms. Lane for combining technical knowledge with a serious message, noting the relevance of mental health conversations within rural communities.

Ms. Lane is in her second year competing in the commercial steer contest and plans to continue advocating for awareness within agriculture.