Agriculture unites to address mental health

STANDING TOGETHER

How the Agriculture Community is Addressing Mental Health

from the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association

While farming and ranching is a lifestyle loved by cattle producers across the country, it comes with its fair share of challenges. Whether it is unpredictable and uncontrollable weather, turbulent markets or complex family dynamics, farm and ranch families across the country are balancing the responsibilities of everyday life and maintaining a viable business. These stressors can certainly take a toll on one’s mental health.

However, mental health is a topic that the agricultural community has historically shied away from talking about. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 59% of rural Americans believe there is stigma around discussing mental health. As a result, some folks have decided it’s time to start directly tackling this issue.

“We’ve really felt the need within our communities,” said Marshal Wilson, co-director of New Mexico State University’s Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center. “At first we were careful about how we talked about it, but we need to address it head on.”

Wilson stressed the importance of local support for bringing awareness to mental health resources within communities.

“It’s got to be a culture change. There’s got to be a movement within our communities,” he explained.

Across the country, others are joining Wilson’s cause to combat the stigma of talking about mental health, and they are working to bring resources to typically underserved areas. Whether it’s through open discussions, formal trainings or federally funded programs, the work being done is critical to ensure the health and safety of those who have made it their life mission to conserve the land and feed the world. Starting the Conversation

“The first thing you have to do is care,” said Warren Symens, a fourth-generation cattlemen from Amherst, South Dakota.

Symens believes that the best way to address mental health issues is to openly talk about them. Instead of pretending like the stress of ranching doesn’t bother him, he has decided to be honest about his own experience, even taking to social media to tell his story.

While he recognizes the importance of professional counselors, he questions how many of them truly understand the unique circumstances in rural America.

As someone who understands the lifestyle — because he lives it — he believes it is important to be open to tough conversations and show empathy to fellow producers when they are navigating challenging circumstances.

“Those of us that have the background have to show empathy,” he said.

Recognizing the Signs

Nathan Lawson, a cattle producer from Spencer County, Kentucky, also understands the need to openly discuss the difficulties that producers experience. In respect to that, he helped spearhead two initiatives that facilitate those conversations.

Lawson participated in a roundtable of leaders representing various sectors of the Kentucky agriculture industry. From that meeting, the group secured funding from the Kentucky Beef Council for a program in which the University of Kentucky’s College of Nursing and College of Agriculture partner to host events that bring awareness to mental health. In addition, members of the

group participated in a mental health awareness leader course to provide agriculturists the resources and training to recognize the signs of someone who may need help.

Through the online training program, “QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer,” participants learn the warning signs of mental illness, how to ask potentially life-saving questions, and what resources are available.

Lawson himself went through the training because he has a heart for helping those around him. He understands the devastating impact that ignoring these critical conversations can have on tight-knit, rural communities.

“Suicide is 100 percent preventable,” he explained.

On the other hand, he recognizes why rural America struggles to address this topic.

“In the agriculture community — whether male or female farmers — we all have somewhat of a John Wayne image, and I think that we apply that to ourselves in such a degree that makes rural people, ag people, the farming community, in particular, a tough nut to crack in terms of willingness to talk about suicide and mental health.”

Lawson believes the QPR method helped teach participants to walk through difficult conversations around mental health in an effective way.

When people are able to have conversations around such a tough topic, it’s statistically proven that those conversations and general awareness decrease the number of instances where someone acts on suicidal thoughts, he explained.

Not only did Lawson go through the training himself, he also had the opportunity to train the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Executive Committee and Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association staff on what he had learned.

He believes that equipping more people to help their friends and neighbors, or possibly even themselves, when they are dealing with stressful situations is beneficial for the entire industry.

While Lawson believes the training was important, he also stresses that the most effective way to help those around you is to simply be a good friend and listen.

“The best friends are the ones that are selfless, the ones that are willing to stand and listen in spite of the time it may take, and ultimately, I think that when we do that, we hear the triggers. We hear the not-so-apparent comments or subtle cries for help. We give them the opportunity to be vulnerable and share what they are struggling with.”

Bolstering Resources

As the agriculture community works to normalize conversations around mental health, some have found that the problem isn’t the lack of willingness to talk openly, it’s the lack of resources available that facilitate an environment in which farmers and ranchers feel comfortable having a conversation.

“We have a tendency to believe people don’t want to talk about stress or mental health, but what I’m finding is quite the opposite. Given the right circumstances and right atmosphere, they become more comfortable and are more willing to talk,” explained Andrea Bjornestad, an associate professor and extension mental health specialist at South Dakota State University (SDSU).

Through traveling across the state to speak at agriculture events, she has found starting the conversation in a comfortable setting allows farmers start to open up with each other — sharing their ideas, thoughts and even their struggles.

As a licensed professional counselor with an agricultural background, Bjornestad is working to bring awareness to the importance of providing professional resources to people in rural communities in a way that is compatible with their lifestyle.

“Agriculture is its own culture, and just like any other culture we should seek to understand the values, beliefs and traditions that make up the way of life,” she said.

However, lack of funding — the problem that threatens the continuation of free counseling services and other rural mental health resources in South Dakota — is a problem shared among states across the country.

“There’s a huge discrepancy in access to mental health providers when looking at urban versus rural areas. Somehow, we need to minimize that gap,” Bjornestad said.

At this point, many states are administering programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant funding, but the continuation of that funding is not guaranteed.

Despite that, Bjornestad is committed to advocating for the importance of these programs and finding creative ways to get people the resources they need.

“We have to think outside the box and bring mental health care in a different way,” she said. When farmers spend hours alone in a tractor, they often want someone to talk to. “Why couldn’t a counselor come to a tractor?” is a question that Bjornestad often asks herself.

After finishing her current mental health research projects at SDSU, Bjornestad will lead the establishment of an assistance network to develop and disseminate resources across South Dakota.

Where to Find Resources

As cattle producers, it’s easy to minimize the challenges and stress of everyday life. In reality, farming and ranching is just as much about the health of people as it is the health of livestock and the land. It’s important to be open, have real conversations and take care of each other.

If you, a loved one or a friend need someone to talk to, states across the country have unique programs and hotlines available. Visit farmstateofmind.org to discover resources in your state.