Increased farmer mental health efforts are working

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Increased farmer mental health efforts are working

Some mental health advocates are concerned that progress made by USDA’s Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network could be left out of the next farm bill.

Dr. Florence Becot of Penn State University‘S The Agricultural Safety and Health Program tells Brownfield that the network was created by the 2018 Farm Bill and must be reauthorized in order to continue.

“What I’ve heard from people who have been involved in working on these services is that there’s a lot of concern about what happens if that doesn’t get refunded?” she shares. “And what about all the work that has been done? Will it go away? Because we know that stress in agriculture is not episodic, but chronic.”

Becot explores how mental health care has changed for farmers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

“When we looked at how many organizations provided resources in 2019 compared to 2022, we found that the number more than quadrupled and the number of actual programs and resources more than tripled,” she says.

She says that as awareness and access have improved, people have become more open about their problems.

“The stigma is not as strong as it used to be,” she says. “Where we hear that people seem to be more open to conversations about mental health. Anecdotally, it seems like there are more conversations happening about it, and people are more open to maybe seeking help.”

Senator Ag Committee Debbie Stabenow’s farm bill increases appropriations for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. The Republican outline in the House does not include language for the program.

AUDIO: Dr. Florence Becot, Penn State University