mental health

According to a new American Farm Bureau Federation poll, a majority of farmers and farm workers say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health. The results found more than half of respondents say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago ...

Legislation to curb the rising rate of farmer suicides awaits the president's signature as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. However, the bill's future is still uncertain as President Trump over the weekend threatened to veto the bill, despite the appearance of veto-proof support from lawmakers ...

The number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise in rural America, and officials are urging residents to take safety precautions. Emily Krekelberg is a Farm Safety and Health Educator for the University of Minnesota Extension Service said it’s not surprising that the virus has spread into rural areas. “ ...

A new $7 million USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network grant will expand farmer suicide prevention work already taking place at Washington State University. Don McMoran with WSU Extension-Skagit County, said this will allow them to extend these vital resources to 13 western states and four U ...

What impact have animals had on young people during the coronavirus pandemic. A Washington State University 4-H faculty member is trying to find out. Thanks to major restrictions on in-person meetings and events, many young people are not able to do the school or extracurricular activities that would take place in a typical year ...

For many in the Ag industry it’s the elephant in the room: Mental Health. According to several studies, more and more farmers are struggling with some form of mental health issues, whether that’s depression, suicidal thoughts or something else. Lacy Sing ...

In addition to traditional safety concerns, this year's Progressive Agriculture Foundation's  Annual safety day events will focus the future of the Ag industry. "One of the new topics that we're tackling here is on mental well being and stress among our children," said PFA's Jana Davidson. He ...

An estimated one in five American adults struggle with mental health issues. That translates into 500,000 farmers. But many experts fear that figure on the U.S. farm is much higher. "We can memorize all the statistic we want but that doesn't mean necessarily  that we'll know how to help someone when that help is really needed." ...

As farmers try to adjust to the new normal, there’s growing concern about the toll the coronavirus is having and will continue to have on the mental health of the Ag industry. With milk prices dropping in some cases below $10 cwt, and produce stacked up with no destination, despair is becoming an all too familiar feeling for many producers across the Northwest and across the country. D ... Rea

The Washington state Department of Agriculture is surveying farmers to see how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their operation, as well as the overall economic impact to the state’s farm economy. The voluntary survey contains 25 questions, and according to the WSDA will take less than 10 minutes to complete. The ...