Muckville – Jeff Mertz (Kingston, New York)

Muckville examines the ongoing mental health and suicide epidemic on American farms through the eyes of a 4th-generation onion farmer in New York’s Black Dirt region. Chris Pawelski almost ran out of time. As a 4th-generation onion farmer on the post-glacial black dirt of Goshen, NY, Chris is just one of millions of farmers in America facing the unnecessarily Sisyphusian task of earning a living. Muckville takes us on a journey through time on the Pawelski farm, from Polish immigration in the early 20th century, through the onset of climate change-driven crop failures in the 1990s and subsequent pitfalls of US agriculture policy, to Chris's resulting existential crisis and suicidal ideation. This short documentary provides rare insight into the ongoing mental health epidemic on American farms, and paints a delicate and emotional portrait of resilience and love amid unbeatable odds. 2023; 19 min.