The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is teaming up with a broad coalition of farm, food, and commodity organizations to support a statewide Farm Suicide Prevention Campaign.
The campaign, which kicked off during May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, looks to highlight the realities farmers experience and provide resources to those in need.
Currently, farmers are facing financial challenges that are prompting people to recall the farm crisis of the 1980s. These pressures, coupled with farmer suicide rates estimated to be 3.5 times higher than the general population, underscore the need to talk more openly about stress and mental health in agriculture.
“We’re all hearing increasing reports of farmers in stress who have taken, or may be thinking of taking their own lives, and we’re all concerned about them,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “We are humbled by the immediate and generous response from our partners who have contributed $47,500 so far to this suicide prevention campaign.”
To date, campaign contributors include:
- Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association
- Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council
- Minnesota Foundation for Agriculture
- Minnesota Grocers Association
- Minnesota Pork Producers Association
- Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council
- Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers
- Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council
- Second Harvest Heartland
The campaign uses 30-second radio spots airing on more than 150 AM/FM stations across Minnesota, as well as social media. Upcoming workshops in agricultural communities will also teach farmers, farm family members, and agricultural advisors skills they need to help keep a suicidal person safe.
Messages talk about the higher-than-average risk of suicide that farmers and ranchers face and ways farmers who are struggling can seek effective, non-judgmental help – such as calling or texting 988 or reaching out to the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline at 833-600-2670. The campaign also offers tips to family members and others who are concerned but don’t quite know how to help.
The effort was created by an advisory group that includes agricultural mental health providers, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Suicide Prevention Program, the Minnesota chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), University of Minnesota Extension, and Lake Benton farmer Bob Worth.
“Getting help if you have anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts is really no different than going to the doctor about heart trouble or high blood sugar,” said Worth, who serves on the advisory group and speaks openly about his own battle with depression. “We’ve got to let people know that getting help helps.”
Organizations or businesses looking to support the campaign efforts can contact MDA’s Meg Moynihan at meg.moynihan@state.mn.us.
Additional information on agricultural mental health, stress, financial resources, and other topics is available at www.mnfarmstress.com.
