Over the past few years, unpredictable weather, destructive pests, trade tension, labor shortages, and unstable markets have all placed pressure on America’s farmers.
According to a Farm Bureau survey, “a strong majority of farmers and farm workers say financial issues, farm or business problems and fear of losing the farm impact farmers’ mental health.” American Farm Bureau will expand mental health awareness in rural communities through its most recent announcement with Bayer.
The Farm State of Mind campaign which is an initiative to raise mental health awareness among the farming community ran by Bayer will now transition over to Farm Bureau. This announcement comes as American Farm Bureau participates in its Agricultural Safety Awareness Program Week, March 1- 7. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic of mental health in rural communities and will act as a resource to provide information on how to get help. Farm Bureau plans to combine the campaign with its ongoing Rural Resilience campaign.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “As a third-generation farmer, I’m familiar with the stress of farm life, and I’ve heard heartbreaking stories as I’ve traveled the country about warning signs missed and loved ones lost.” He added, “we’d like to thank Bayer for taking the initiative around this important topic and are excited to expand our impact by growing this campaign to connect even more farmers and ranchers with the resources they need.”
Listen to the full report below.
Danielle Leal
Multi-Media Journalist & AgNet News Hour Anchor