Helping farmers with their mental health

Aug 12, 2022

A “Communicating with Farmers Under Stress” workshop is planned for Aug. 16

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A university is hosting a workshop to help people who work with farmers on a regular basis support producers with their mental health.

The University of Nebraska Extension’s “Communicating with Farmers Under Stress” takes place Aug. 16 at the Cambridge Community Center in Cambridge, Neb.

The workshop starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. Anyone interested in attending must register for the event.

“This workshop is designed for individuals who work farmers and ranchers on a regular basis, such as bank lenders, ag suppliers, insurance agents, healthcare professions, and anyone involved with the lives of farmers and ranchers,” the event’s description says.

While at the workshop, attendees will learn how to:

Build awareness around potentially stressful conditions affecting producers.
Learn triggers and identify signs of stress, and review response techniques.
Learn how to support farmers who may find stress management challenging.
Where to find additional help.

Another university is supporting farmers with their mental health through a free online course.

Michigan State University partnered with other universities, the USDA, the American Farm Bureau Federation and other ag groups to create the Rural Resilience Open Online Course.

“In this course, you will learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and suicide, ways to effectively communicate with people under stress, and how to reduce stigma related to mental health concerns,” the course’s website says. “What you learn in this course can help your friends, family, neighbors and community during stressful times.”

The workshop and the online course are two examples of available mental health resources.

Farms.com has compiled a list of mental health and suicide prevention resources available to people across the United States.

Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm