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Editor’s Note: Mental health continues to receive increased attention across agriculture. This article is Part 2 of a two-part series by Jason Scott examining the pressures farmers face, particularly the responsibility of maintaining family farming legacies during challenging times. Part 1 of the series was published in the April edition of West Coast Nut.

If you’ve spent any time in the orchard lately, you can feel it. The heat is starting to build. Not just in the weather, but everywhere.

Spray timing tightens up. Water decisions get more critical. Input costs are still staring you in the face. Markets are doing what markets do. And somewhere in the middle of all that, you’re expected to keep the operation moving forward like nothing changed.

Recognizing the Pressure
This time of year has a way of turning up the pressure. And if we’re being honest, it’s not just operational pressure. It’s mental pressure too.

May is Mental Health Month, and while that might sound like something that belongs in a different industry, I’d argue it hits pretty close to home for agriculture. We just don’t talk about it much.

In ag, we’re wired to push through. Solve the problem. Get the job done. Show up early, stay late, and don’t complain. That mindset has built incredible businesses and strong families. But it also comes with a cost if we don’t check ourselves once in a while.

Because when everything heats up, so does our internal temperature.

Stress builds. Patience gets shorter. Decisions feel heavier. And if you’re not careful, you start carrying more than just your own load.

Using Your Superpower
I’ve been there more than once.

What I’ve learned, and what I want to share with you, is simple. One of the fastest ways to stabilize your own mental state during high-pressure times is to shift your focus outward.

Use your superpower.

Every one of us has one. Maybe it’s experience. Maybe it’s relationships. Maybe it’s your ability to stay calm when others can’t. Maybe it’s your work ethic. Maybe it’s your ability to see the bigger picture when others are stuck in the weeds.

Or maybe, like me, it’s being a truth teller.

That one has gotten me in trouble a few times, but it’s also made a real impact.

There are moments when someone you care about needs to hear something hard. Not from a place of ego or control, but from a place of respect and responsibility. The kind of truth that most people avoid because it’s uncomfortable.

That might look like telling a colleague they’re heading in the wrong direction. Or telling a friend they’re burning out. Or even telling someone they’re not living up to their potential.

Building Trust Through Connection
Because most people are carrying more than they show.

Behind the meetings, the field visits, the numbers and the day-to-day grind, there are real pressures. Financial strain. Family stress. Health concerns. Business uncertainty. And a lot of times, people are trying to handle it quietly.

When you step in with your superpower, you can lighten that load.

And here’s the interesting part. When you help someone else carry their weight, your own feels lighter.

There’s something about getting out of your own head and showing up for someone else that resets your perspective. It reminds you that you’re not alone in the fight. It reminds you that what you’re doing matters beyond just the numbers.

It also builds something we don’t talk about enough in business.

Trust.

Not the kind of trust that comes from contracts or deals, but the kind that comes from consistency. From showing up. From being someone people can rely on when things get tough.

In our industry, relationships still drive everything. We can talk all day about technology, data and efficiency, but at the end of the day, people do business with people they trust.

And trust is built in moments like these.

A Simple Challenge for the Season
So here’s a simple challenge for you as we move deeper into the season.

Look around.

Who on your team, in your network or in your circle might be feeling the heat right now?

Who’s quieter than usual? Who’s more on edge? Who might be carrying something you can’t see?

Reach out.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. A phone call. A quick check-in. A coffee. Even just asking, “How are you really doing?”

And if your superpower is like mine, be willing to have the real conversation. The one that actually helps, not just the one that’s easy.

At the same time, give yourself permission to do the same on your end. You don’t have to carry everything alone. One of the biggest misconceptions in our space is that strength means silence. That if you’re struggling, you just need to push harder.

That’s not strength. That’s isolation.

Real strength is knowing when to lean on others. When to ask for perspective. When to admit that things feel heavy. Because the reality is, even the best operators, the best growers and the best leaders go through seasons where it’s a grind.

The difference is how they handle it.

They stay connected. They stay grounded. And they don’t lose sight of the people around them.

As things heat up in the orchard, in the markets and in your business, don’t forget to manage what’s going on between your ears. Use your superpower. Help someone else carry the load. And if you need it, let someone do the same for you.

That’s how we get through the hot seasons.