Network aims to fight farmer suicides in dairy country; offshoots are spreading similar programs elsewhere - Entrepreneur Generations

Logan, Wisconsin (Wikipedia map)

Farmers all over the country are hurting because of financial stress caused by the trade war, record wet weather, and more. That has led to a rash of suicides among family farmers, who have been the hardest hit. One of them was third-generation dairy farmer Leon Statz, who died by suicide in 2018, Dan Simmons reports for The Washington Post. It was his third attempt in a year.

His death shook his Wisconsin community of Logan, pop. 300. His close friend, Dale Meyer, said the community knew Statz was "stressed out" but didn't know how to help him. So, in the aftermath of Statz's death, Meyer and others created the Farmer Angel Network, a unique group that facilitates informal group therapy for and by farmers. Its efforts are all "aimed at helping individuals who typically work alone, worry alone and tend to be stoic until the end," Simmons reports.

The network is sorely needed in Wisconsin, whose 48 farm bankruptcies led the nation in 2019. But farming communities all over the nation are dealing with the same stressors. "So the Farmer Angel Network and similar offshoots are spreading into other communities in the state and bringing in outside resources, including social workers, agricultural educators, economic development consultants, pastors and more. At the same time, money is starting to flow from the federal and state governments," Simmons reports. "The U.S. Agriculture Department allocated more than $2.3 million for special initiatives that will, in part, expand emergency hotlines and support groups. Wisconsin legislators approved $200,000 in September to boost programs addressing farmers’ mental health and financial issues."

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2veW5Zx Network aims to fight farmer suicides in dairy country; offshoots are spreading similar programs elsewhere - Entrepreneur Generations

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