2021
Family
&
Farm Magazine Special supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper and Pioneer East Shopper
2
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021
2021 Family Article Guide: Farm Twin Creek Farm owner prides herself in equestrian care.......................................................... 3 Gregory’s Asparagus Farms keeps quality in the family................................................................. 4 Four Green Fields Farm offers fun for the whole family.............................................................5 Lazy Lane Family Farm is all about goats................................................................................. 6 Mecosta farmer receives CANR Distinguished Service Award....................................................7 Higher prices, pandemic payments help farms stay afloat in 2020.............................................................................. 9 Farm stress teletherapy resources expanded to include Michigan’s aquaculture and commercial fishers........................10
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021 3
Twin Creek Farm owner prides herself in equestrian care JOE JUDD joe.judd@pioneergroup.com For Theresa Rorabaugh and her family, Twin Creek Farms is more than just a hobby or even an occupation — it’s a way of life. Located in Morley, Twin Creek Farms has specialized in providing fullservice reproductive aid for all breeds, including high-risk pregnancies and foalings. For more than 20 years, Rorabaugh and her husband Matt have worked steadily and have gone to great lengths to keep all visiting horses comfortable and safe during their time at Twin Creek Farms. For Rorabaugh, the many horses on her farm are truly her friends, and the ability to keep all of the animals on site, rather than transferring them from place-to-place, makes a world of difference at Twin Creek. “(Horses) have personalities that are a little more sensitive. They become very bonded to humans,” Rorabaugh said. “In the past, horses would have to go from breeding farm to breeding farm each year and be in a different environment.” Rorabaugh added that horses prefer stability and consistency, rather than a constant change of scenery.
That stability can be found at Twin Creek Farms. “Mentally and physically, routine is very important,” Rorabaugh. “Mares can come back to the same facility every year. The horses are comfortable here; it’s like a large nursery.” Rorabaugh said clients have told her that dropping off their horses at Twin Creek is like dropping their children off with grandparents. A wide range of horses from a variety of places have passed through the gates of Twin Creek, which puts a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Rorabaugh and her husband. From this responsibility comes a great deal of pride. “We work with a lot of very expensive, world-champion mares and stallions,” Rorabaugh said. “They’re Located in Morley, Twin Creek Farm has been operating for more than 20 very valuable to their owners, but years. (Photo courtesy/Theresa Rorabaugh) they’re also monetarily valuable as In addition to this, Rorabaugh is LLC for more than two decades. well. For a lot of people, just leaving certified in Animal Insemination and Rorabaugh said owning and them and going away is a pretty scary Equine Reproduction from Colorado operating a farm is unlike any other experience.” State University and the Ohio State type of occupation. Rorabaugh graduated from University. “The horse business in Michigan is Michigan State University with a 24.1 - 47.3 HP DurableMatt cast iron and steel design Rorabaugh also has a degree in very prominent — more than what most Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Animal Science from MSU and has been people think,” Rorabaugh said. “It’s not Science, with an emphasis in Equine Management. an employee of Land O’ Lakes Purina just a hobby.”
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FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021
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Every year, Gregory's Asparagus Farms hires high school and college students to hand pick its asparagus. (Courtesy photo/Colleen Gregory)
Gregory's Asparagus Farms keeps quality in the family
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JULIE NORWOOD julie.norwood@ pioneergroup.com West Michigan is known for its variety of produce — apples, cherries, peaches and potatoes. One of its more unique crops can been in West Central Michigan. Gregory's Asparagus Farm, 14875 110th Ave. in Rodney, has been growing, you guessed it, asparagus for almost 50 years. "Bruce’s parents, Marvin and Barbara, planted the first patch in 1972," said Colleen Gregory, who joined the family business with Bruce in the mid-1980s. "His father decided to plant asparagus as it was a high value crop. There were several other growers in the area that picked for
the canning market. It was hauled to the Hein farm in Remus as a pickup point." Since then, the farm has grown. The Gregorys planted a 50-acre plot in 1997, since retired, and a 40-acre one in 2018. When it's time to harvest, they hire local high school and college students to hand pick the crop. "We believe students learn many life lessons working the farm," Colleen said. Marvin and Barbara Gregory retired in 2003, leaving Colleen and Bruce as owners and operators. Their farm has been Global Primus Certified for Good Agricultural Practices by the Global Food-Safety Initiative, and most of the asparagus they grow is for the fresh market. "It is hydrocooled at the farm and put in a cooler
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until a refrigerator truck picks it up," Colleen said. "It is taken to the packing house in New Era, and from there gets shipped out to grocery stores across the U.S." But not all. The Gregory's sell fresh and pickled asparagus directly at the farm, as well as local at farmers markets and restaurants. "The Blue Cow has been a great customer of ours," Colleen said. Harvest usually lasts about six weeks, she said, generally between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. "Our season this year will be only about four weeks because the field is still young," she said. "This is totally based on the weather of course." More information will be posted at facebook. com/freshpickedasparagus as the season gets closer. Hours also will be recorded and may be heard by calling 231-867-3345 during season. After decades in the business, how do the Gregorys enjoy their asparagus? "My favorite way to have asparagus is heating up olive oil in a pan, cut the asparagus in small slices diagonally and add to hot oil with lemon pepper and sliced almonds," Colleen said. "Bruce’s favorite is the way the chef at Blue Cow taught him which will remain a secret." Gregory's Asparagus Farm • Address: 14875 110th Ave in Rodney, MI. 49342. • Phone: 231-867-3345 • Online: gregorysasparagus.com • Social: facebook.com/ freshpickedasparagus If you are 14 year or older and would like to apply as a picker, visit gregorysasparagus.com/ jobs.
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021 5
Four Green Fields Farm offers fun for the whole family summer and fall gatherings. "We don't do anything high speed. We don't do as many sleigh rides as we could Since opening for simply because we would business in 2007, Four Green have to hurry people out," he Fields Farm has served as a said. I really really do my best prime agritourism location to offer true Irish hospitality for Mecosta County families. … and I really try to bring "Family is very, very that to my farm. When you important to me, and to think come, you're welcome." I offer somewhere where However, Four Green families can go together, that Fields Farm is much more might be the best thing we do than a tourist location, right there," Kevin Courtney, Courtney said. who owns the farm, said. It also acts as a working Serving as a place for the farm, which produces about family, Four Green Fields, at 80 gallons of maple syrup in 15693 Wilson Road, Rodney, March, approximately 1,000 offers a variety of fun pumpkin plants per year and activities, including seasonal copious amounts of hay and hay rides, corn mazes and a corn. pumpkin patch during the "If you like to farm, fall. there's something about In the winter, the farm working that land and being also serves as a fun getaway by offering sleigh rides and a on that land that's good for your soul. That's the warming house to enjoy hot chocolate, a fire pit and much number one thing. There's such a powerful feeling of more. accomplishment ... you're on "You have two choices God's good earth and you just in Michigan in the winter," try to do your best with it," Courtney said. "You can sit Courtney said. inside and freeze or you can Those interested say, "You know what? I live in checking out Four in a winter environment," Green Fields Farms and go outside and enjoy it." can visit its website at Since opening, Courtney fourgreenfieldsfarm.com. said Four Green Fields has Individuals also can find the been slowly expanding its farm on Facebook at "Four services, and now also offers a pavilion and picnic area for Green Fields Farm."
CATHERINE SWEENEY catherine.sweeney@ pioneergroup.com
Pictured from above is the corn maze at Four Green Fields Farm. The corn maze is offered annually in the fall. (Courtesy photo)
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021
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Lazy Lane Family Farm is all about goats CATHIE CREW cathie.crew@pioneergroup.com
The Lazy Lane Family Farm in Stanwood breeds and sells Nigerian dwarf goats like those pictured. To reserve a goat visit lazylanefamilyfarms.com. (Photo courtesy of Lazy Lane Family Farms)
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Kids, kids, kids. That is what the Lazy Lane Family Farm in Stanwood is all about. “We raise Nigerian Dwarf goats,” said owner Patsy Lane. “We are breeders. We have 42 resident goats and we sell the kids. Right now, we have 43 kids on the ground.” If you’re thinking you want to run get yourself a cute goat, however, think again. Lane said to get a goat, you have to reserve one. “We work off of reservations, only,” Lane said. “We have our website and our Facebook page where people can go and get on our reservation list. By using the reservation form, interested buyers can tell them what they are looking for – if they want milk lines, if they want to improve their heard, if they just want a pet, or if they are doing 4-H and want a show goat, she said. “For 4-H, the goats have to be wetherd, or neutered, and we don’t have a lot of wethered,” Lane said. “They can’t be in-tact males because they can get a little aggressive. Wethered males are docile and don’t stink.” “Most of the time they are purchased for the milk,” she said. “Nigerian dwarf goats produce a lot of milk and they are one of the highest butterfat milks – 18% butterfat, which is good for cheese, or soaps.” “We have some really strong milk lines,” she added. “We also have quality show goats. It just depends on what the buyer is desiring." Since Michigan does not allow individuals to sell milk, Lane said, anyone who purchases the goats for milk would be for their own personal use. "Some goat buyers will go into partnerships, where they each have part ownership of the goat and get a share of the milk each week," she said. “That is a way of getting around selling the milk. We don’t do that, we only produce milk for our own consumption.” Lane said they originally got into the goat farm business because she and her children are lactose intolerant and thought goat milk would be a good alternative. “We got goats for the milk
and the heard just grew and grew, and now here we are,” Lane said. “We have been doing it around eight years now.” Lane said they sell there goats all over the state and even out of state in some instances, but most sales are within a 100 mile radius of the farm. “We don’t typically advertise because the kids go really fast,” Lane said. “This year we had over 70 kids requested, and we couldn’t meet the demand.” The average price for Lazy Lane Farm kids starts at $350 for doelings (baby females), $400 for bucklings (baby males) and $175 for wethered male kids. “If we have a goat that has high milk lines, if they are moon spotted, pulled and have blue eyes – that could run around $1,000,” Lane said. The goats are bred just once per year, in the Fall because that is when they are the strongest, Lane said, although it is possible to get two breedings each year. The gestation period is around 5 months and the typical pregnancy produces two kids. Once the goats have reached the end of their kidding years, which is around 9 or 10, they are retired, she said. “Once they are retired, we just let them live out their life on the farm,” she said. “We have sold older stock, but since we first began, we have the same girls here. We know them, and they keep everybody in check on the farm.” Lane refers to the farm as a “hobby farm” because of it's small size. “We are not huge, and I don’t want to be, because then I can’t tell you about my individual goats,” she said. “I know each one of our kids personally, even though there are 43. I can tell you what their personality is like, how they act. I know all of their names. If you get really big, you can’t do that – then it becomes a job and not fun.” Learn more about the Lazy Lane Family Farm by visiting lazylanefamilyfarm. com or facebook.com/ LazyLaneFamilyFarm.
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021 7
Mecosta farmer receives CANR Distinguished Service Award PIONEER STAFF REPORTS Brian Sackett, of Sackett Potatoes, in Mecosta, received the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Distinguished Service Award at the March 12 ANR Awards Program. The award honors individuals or partners who have made outstanding contributions to Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources industries, and who possess high standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the college. Sackett, along with his son Tyler, manages Sackett Potatoes, in Mecosta. The Sackett family has been growing potatoes on their family farm in Michigan since 1905. Under Brian’s management over the past 10 years, Sackett Potatoes has grown to a total of 18,000 acres across three
states. The primary crop grown is 7,500 acres of potatoes for the potato chip industry, marketed to E.K. Bare & Sons, Frito Lay, Inc., Great Lakes Potato Chip Co., Snyder's-Lance Inc., Shearer's Foods, Utz Quality Foods and Wise Foods, Inc. Brian combines three decades of potato farming experience with today's newest potato farming technology to meet the demands of modern business. He is continually upgrading the potato storages to have state-ofthe-art technology to deliver high quality potatoes to customers year-round. Their long-term crop rotation practices provide nutrient balance, prevent pest build-up and avoids the establishment of resistant pest strains. His contributions include hosting research trials on his farm and serving as an industry advisor to MSU faculty. In addition, he
donates hundreds of dollars’ worth of potato seeds for MSU research trialing purposes. He also has developed a culture of giving within his business by leading by example. He works with the Food Bank Council of Michigan to supply potatoes for distribution to people facing food insecurity. He donates money and potatoes Angels of Action to help them achieve their mission of supplying food to children facing hunger. He joins almost two dozen individuals who recently received honors for their contributions in agriculture and natural resources as part of ANR Month. During a virtual ANR Awards Program on March 12, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University (MSU) honored 11 individuals Continued on Page 8.
Brian Sackett, of Sackett Potatoes, in Mecosta (Courtesy/CANR/MSU)
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FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021
8 Continued from Page 7. in seven categories for their leadership at the community, state, national or international levels. CANR Distinguished Service Award CANR Distinguished Service Award recipients are recognized for outstanding contributions to Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources industries and who possess high standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the CANR. These recipients demonstrate a commitment to MSU and CANR by continuing outstanding volunteerism and leadership on behalf of or in conjunction with the university on a local, state, national or international level. The 2021 CANR Distinguished Service Award recipients are: • Stephen Herbruck, Greg Herbruck and Harry “Herb” Herbruck, of Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, in Saranac. • Brian Sackett, of Sackett Potatoes, in Mecosta. Alumni Service Award The CANR Alumni Service Award selection is made from candidates who have demonstrated continuing outstanding volunteer service to MSU, the CANR or meritorious public service
on a local, state, national or international level. Candidates must possess the highest standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the CANR. The 2021 recipient is Mark Moorman, Ph.D., director of food safety, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Distinguished Faculty Award Distinguished Faculty Awards recognize faculty members who have brought distinction to the CANR through teaching, research and/or outreach and provided leadership that has helped students, faculty members and/or citizens reach their potential for excellence. Recipients are: • Karim M. Maredia, Ph.D., professor in the MSU
Department of Entomology and Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences (PSM). • Gale Strasburg, Ph.D., professor in the MSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Award The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Award recognizes alumni for their professional accomplishments, service and contributions in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion to the CANR, their field and community. Receiving the DEI Award is Leonard A. Savala, III, Ph.D., director of the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement at Wayne State University (WSU). Honorary Alumni Award The Honorary Alumni Award is given to someone
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who has made a distinctive contribution to the CANR on a state, national or international level; has relieved the suffering of disadvantaged people; or contributed to any unique program that benefits humankind. Receiving the Honorary Alumni Awards are: • Kenneth J. Rauscher, president of the Lansing Area Agricultural and Natural Resources Club. • Karen Schroeder, vice president and co-owner of Mayberry Homes. Outstanding Alumni Awards Two awards for CANR Outstanding Alumni were given to those who have distinguished themselves by obtaining the highest level of professional accomplishments, and who possess the highest standards of integrity and character. Recipients are: • Dean E. Beyer, Jr., Ph.D., retired research biologist Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and adjunct professor for the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. • Max Gonzenbach, retired CEO, Valley Queen Cheese Factory. Outstanding Young Alumni Award The Outstanding Young Alumni Award honors individuals who have distinguished themselves by obtaining a
high level of professional accomplishment and who possess high standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the CANR within 10 years of graduation. The recipient is: • Kaytlyn Brinkman, northern regional manager for the American Tree Farm System at the American Forest Foundation. Farm Lane Society In addition, 10 individuals were inducted into the Farm Lane Society at a virtual event March 5. The Farm Lane Society honors individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to foster their continuing involvement in the College and Alumni Association. Honorees are former CANR Alumni Association Board members or recipients of a CANR Alumni Association Award or the CANR Distinguished Service Award from the previous year. This year's Farm Lane Society cohort included: • Thomas Bailey • Troy Bancroft • George Bird • Susan Chamberlain • Doug Cron • Dirk Drost • Frank Ettawageshik • Trever Meachum • Truman Surbrook • David Weatherspoon The ANR Awards and Farm Lane Society events are part of the ANR Month activities celebrating Michigan’s impact and contributions to agriculture and natural resources. ANR Month (formerly ANR Week) has served as a platform for enterprising new developments in agriculture and natural resources in Michigan since 1914. For over a century, attendees have networked, learned about new developments in their fields and looked toward solutions for the future. To learn more about ANR Month, visit canr.msu.edu/anrweek.
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FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021 9
Higher prices, pandemic payments help farms stay afloat in 2020 Elaine Mallon Capital News Service For the past 25 years, Leann Szakal and her husband have operated a dairy farm with 80 cows in Corunna, Shiawassee County, with the help of their three children. As the price of milk began to decline in 2015 and operating costs increased, Szakal struggled to meet her operating loan payments with GreenStone Farm Credit ServicesCredit. Unable to make the payments in spring 2020, Szakal refinanced her loan which she will now repay over the next 20 years. “Input costs have drastically changed in the last five years,” Szakal said. “It’s nearly impossible for a small farm to survive because input costs are too high.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 43.6% of farms nationally had a positive net cash flow in 2017. Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings grew by 20% in 2019, with a total of 595 filings, making it the second-highest in recent years, according to the USDA. This provision of federal bankruptcy allows for family farms and fisheries that derive over half of their gross income from their operations to restructure their finances to avoid foreclosure. But in 2020, Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings fell by 7%. Ernie Birchmeier of the Michigan Farm Bureau said the fact that farm income in 2020 was the highest in both Michigan and nationally since 2013 may have played a part in the lower number of filings.
“It was due to some additional assistance that was sent to farmers due to COVID-19 because of market shutdowns and market losses,” Birchmeier, a livestock specialist, said. GreenStone chief credit officer Paul Anderson said government payments in the form of COVID-19 relief, agriculture risk coverage and price loss coverage from commodities accounted for the 20% increase in net farm income. David Oppedahl, a senior business economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said farmers in Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana received $5.6 billion in government payments for farm operations last year. While the USDA projects that farm income will fall about 8% this year, Anderson said it’s still 21%
above the 2000 and 2019 average. “There’s still going to be a significant amount of government money,” Anderson said. “And actually, corn prices, grain prices are pretty good right now. “If you are a dairy farmer or livestock producer feeding corn and soybeans to your livestock, your profits will be down. There’s always a few winners and losers.” GreenStone, based in East Lansing, holds 70% of the market share for farm credit services in Michigan. According to Anderson, GreenStone has made great strides in assisting its borrowers during these unprecedented times. “When interest rates really bottomed out when COVID-19 hit, we saved our customers a little more than $32 million in one year in the
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021
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Photo: Lauren Jescovitch.
Continued from Page 9.
“We’ve got a new battle before we even take off in the fields. As much as form of reduced interest costs,” Anderson said. “By it’s disappointing most of converting their fixed rate the time, it keeps things or adjustable rate loan interesting, that’s for sure.” product into a new one for a In addition to farming, nominal fee, we saved them Mays relies on a secondary a tremendous amount of income from full-time money for the next five, 10 employment at an or 30 years. “We’ve gone a long way agricultural technology as a lending cooperative to company. help where we can.” While the COVID-19 Tucker Mays of Dansville pandemic is an has been a crop farmer since unprecedented time for 2018. He started with 90 acres and now harvested 700 everyone, there are farmers acres of corn, soy beans, and who have been working since the 1970s — known as the wheat in 2020. Mays participates in heyday of agriculture. GreenStone’s “Farm Forward Ninety-one-year-old Mentorship” program that Jerry Jorgenson runs his pairs young farmers with third-generation family farm established ones. on 9,000 acres in Locke While Mays said he benefited from the program, Township, Ingham County. he struggles with the debt he His father started it in 1926. Like many other will take on. “It’s well known that in agricultural operations, order to run a farm, you Jorgenson has had to adjust have to have an operating to the market — selling off loan,” Mays said. “Now it’s cattle in the process. very hard for a beginning Jorgenson’s farm farmer because the swings survived the high-interest of cash flow are enormous. loans during the 1980s and That’s kind of a stigma with benefited from the high agriculture that to farm you have to have debt, and it’s commodity prices of 2012not usually small. 14. In addition to swings in While Jorgenson said cash flow, Mays and other he doesn’t like government farmers are dealing with a subsidies, he worries about shortage in fertilizer. keeping the confidence of According to Mays, small farmers strong. fertilizer prices have “You have to be skyrocketed this spring, and production has shut down. optimistic,” Jorgenson Following the advice of a said. “There’s only so many mentor Mays bought his acres in the world, and the fertilizer last fall, but he said population is expanding. the uncertainty in farming And I don’t think any farm makes it challenging. family should feel like there “As promising as this isn’t a future for what they’re year looks, there’s always something,” Mays said. producing.”
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their jobs, aquaculture farmers and commercial LAUREN JESCOVITCH fishers accept these risks as & ERIC KARBOWSKI they dedicate their efforts Michigan State University Extension to operating a successful business to supply fish for their communities. In an (aquaculture and effort to help the producers commercial fishers) face of these vital industries a number of stressors take control of their involved in their daily stress and find balance in jobs. For example, their lives, Michigan fish commercial fishers may producers can now utilize battle unpredictable online counseling services weather, or may cast through a partnership with out a net not knowing Michigan State University how much fish will be Extension and Pine Rest harvested. These stressors Mental Health Services. may be overwhelming to Traditionally, therapy aquaculture farmers, or fish sessions are conducted farmers, as their livelihood during face-to-face and ability to provide meetings in an office. for their families rely on Teletherapy is a counseling external factors, such as fish session that is completed health, that stem beyond through video chat their control. Despite the between mental health significant physical and care providers and clients. emotional demands of This advanced approach
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provides flexibility for people to access behavioral health support in the comfort of their own environment, helping reduce stigma surrounding mental health treatment. Funds from a MDARD grant are currently offsetting the associated costs on a firstcome-first-served basis, while funds are available. Many challenges during 2020 have affected Michigan seafood producers as food supply chains were disrupted. Specifically, the Michigan commercial fishing industry was not only impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, but also from the attention to update fishing legislation and unanticipated changes to fishing regulations. In an effort to support this industry, Michigan Sea Continued on Page 11.
FAMILY & FARM • Supplement to the Pioneer, Herald Review, River Valley Shopper & Pioneer East Shopper • MARCH 2021 11
Continued from Page 10. Grant hosted educational sessions for the 2021 Michigan Fish Producers Association’s annual conference. A session titled “Mending the Stress Net” was presented at this conference by MSU Extension, which demonstrated various mental health resources for commercial fishers in recognizing the signs of stress, tools to support healthy lifestyles, recognizing the warning signs of suicide and resources to help those in need. The session highlighted specific resources such as a free online course for the public as well as other resources that can be found on the Managing Farm Stress Program webpage. In April 2020, MSU Extension partnered with Pine Rest Behavioral Health to launch a teletherapy program to serve the state’s farming community. Since the program’s creation, many farmers across the state have engaged with these online counseling services.
Paralleling many of the stressors fish producers endure, agricultural farmers experience similar stress factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, have been categorized together and ranked high nationally among occupations associated with loss of life by suicide. These industries are also one of the most hazardous industrial sectors documented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) with a rate of 22.8 deaths per 100,000 workers, which is well above the average rate of 3.4 deaths per 100,000 workers for all U.S. industries. For more information on accessing the teletherapy program, farmers and fishers can reach out to Eric Karbowski, MSU Extension behavioral health educator, at 989-317-4079 or karbows8@msu.edu, or get more information through this secure, online form to refer yourself, a friend or a loved one. Fishers with additional questions may reach out
to Lauren Jescovitch, Sea Grant extension educator, at jescovit@msu.edu. Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research, and outreach. A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 34 universitybased programs. Michigan State University Extension’s many resources on farm stress can be found at the
Managing Farm Stress website, including access to the MSU Extension Teletherapy pilot project and free online farm stress training such as Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training. This article was prepared by Extension educator Dr. Lauren N. Jescovitch under award NA180AR170102 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce through the Regents of the University of Michigan. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, or the Regents of the University of Michigan. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension. msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu. edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension. msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-6783464).
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