Brenda Statz

Brenda Statz
Born
Brenda M. Farber

(1963-05-11) May 11, 1963
OccupationMental-health activist
Known forCo-founding the Farmer Angel Network
SpouseLeon A. Statz (m. 1984–2018; his death)
Websitehttps://www.farmerangelnetwork.com

Brenda M. Statz (née Farber; born May 11, 1963) is an American mental-health activist. After the death of her husband, a farmer, from suicide, she co-founded the Farmer Angel Network, a support group for local families in the farming industry.

Background

In October 2018, Leon A. Statz, a 57-year-old farmer from Loganville, Wisconsin, committed suicide after financial struggles forced him to sell the fifty Holstein dairy cows he had on his 200-acre (81 ha) farm,[1] instead moving into grain and beef farming. The relative uncertainty of their new venture caused Statz endless anxiety, even though the farm was actually prospering. Statz, who had inherited the family farm from his parents,[2] began a part-time role as a meat cutter in a local grocery store―his wife of 34 years,[3] Brenda, later saying it was to punish himself because he thought he was a failure. Statz attempted suicide four months after the sale of the cows. He said goodbye to his children over the telephone, then swallowed a handful of pills while locking himself in a shed with farm equipment running inside it. His suicide note read: "I wish I never sold (our, my) cows! I'm a dairy farmer. I want my old life back, but I can't get it anymore. Every thing I do fails. I didn't plan ahead for this ... I really screwed up!"[4][5] Brenda heard the tractor equipment running and shut them down, despite her husband's attempts to prevent her doing so. She opened the shed's door, to let air pass through, and called the police and Rev. Donald Glanzer Jr., the pastor of their church, St. Peter's Lutherhan in Loganville. Statz was hospitalized for three days.[5]

Ethan Statz found his father's body in the shed for the farm's heifers on October 8, 2018.[5][3] In 2023, Statz's wife, his sons and his daughter-in-law were running the farm.[2] They family later formed Statz Circle S Farms LLC, raising beef cattle and crops.[6]

Farmer Angel Network

As a direct result of the incident, in 2019,[7] Statz, Dorothy Harms and Randy Roecker, a neighboring farmer, set up Farmer Angel Network, a support group for local families in the farming industry.[5][8] Brenda has trained with SafeTALK[7] on has been educated on QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer).[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Simmons, Dan (2020-01-18). "Fighting suicides in dairy country through 'farmer angels'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  2. 1 2 "How rural communities are tackling a suicide and depression crisis among farmers". PBS NewsHour. 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  3. 1 2 "Suicide prevention project aims to help distressed farmers". AP News. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  4. ↑ "'They're Trying to Wipe Us Off the Map.' Small American Farmers Are Nearing Extinction" – Time, November 27, 2019
  5. 1 2 3 4 Williamson, Elizabeth (2023-04-19). "A Death in Dairyland Spurs a Fight Against a Silent Killer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  6. 1 2 "Brenda Statz". Farmer Angel Network. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  7. 1 2 Figueiredo, Madeline de (2025-08-29). "Q&A: Building Support and Breaking Mental Health Stigma in Agricultural Communities". The Daily Yonder. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  8. ↑ "America's farmers face multiplying pressures" – The Economist, September 20, 2020
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