URBANA, Ill. – Agricultural producers and farm workers experience stressful working conditions that result in anxiety and depression at higher rates than the general population. At the same time, access to mental health care is often lacking in rural areas. In response, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded four regional farm and ranch stress assistance networks in 2019.
One of these networks is the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center (NCFRSAC), which provides mental health assistance to agricultural producers, workers, and families in the Midwest.
Josie Rudolphi and Courtney Cuthbertson, Illinois Extension specialists and professors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, are co-directors of NCFRSAC. In a new paper they evaluated the center’s services and outcomes over the past three years, and provided recommendations for future approaches.
“The NCFRSAC operates in 12 states and partners with about 15 organizations, including Extension, public health, and nonprofit organizations. We operate under directives from the USDA to provide services in five main areas, which include training programs, professional behavioral health services, a website clearinghouse, outreach to producers, and support groups,” said Rudolphi, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering at U. of I.
The 12-state region encompasses Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, some of the most agriculturally productive states in the U.S. The region employs over 300,000 farmworkers, and it is home to almost 40% of all U.S. agricultural producers. Farmers and ranchers consistently report high stress levels due to economic conditions, finances, environment, and interpersonal relations.
The NCFRSAC operates a telephone helpline with services in English and Spanish. Hotline staff can respond to calls about stress and crisis; they can also address legal and financial questions and refer callers to appropriate resources. The hotline has facilitated over 20,000 calls from all 12 states over the past three years.
The center’s website (farmstress.org) provides over 170 resources on stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, suicide, centers, services, and more. People can search for information on specific topics, locations, and audiences, such as women farmers or youth.
A major part of the center’s outreach efforts consists of training people who interact with farmers to provide mental health support. Individuals in retail, banking, and other agricultural support fields learn about ‘mental health literacy’ — the ability to speak with people for whom they are concerned, intervene appropriately, suggest resources, and refer to professional services.
“The goal of these educational programs is to provide people who are not mental health care providers with knowledge about mental health issues. Sometimes it helps just to ask someone how they are doing. It can open up a conversation that can lead from a feeling of isolation and hopelessness to a sense of connection, believing there are people who care and can help,” said co-author Courtney Cuthbertson, assistant professor of human development and family studies in the College of ACES.
In the past three years, the network has trained over 11,000 agricultural supporters in mental health programming, trained over 18,000 agricultural producers in stress management and mental health awareness programming, engaged over 850 farmworkers in support groups, and delivered more than 1,200 hours of professional behavioral health services.
Some programs vary by state. For example, Illinois offers a voucher program where people can get three free sessions with a mental health provider without going through insurance.
Nebraska offers social support groups through a program called Bienvenido, which focuses on providing assistance to farm workers. The program has contributed to reduced alcohol and tobacco usage and increased positive coping skills for participants, the researchers noted. There are ongoing plans to expand the program to other states in the network.
One of the barriers to addressing mental health issues is building awareness, Rudolphi said.
“It can be challenging to build a rapport with farmers and farm worker communities who may be hesitant to engage in services and resources with an organization they aren’t very familiar with. It helps that we’ve partnered with Extension services in every state; it’s one of the more trusted organizations among farmers, and we’ve been able to utilize this extensive network to disseminate resources and programs into rural communities,” she stated.
Another challenge is overcoming the stigma of seeking treatment.
“We’re trying to shift the messaging around mental health to normalize asking for help. Farmers often have a sense of problem solving, an ‘I can do it myself’ attitude. That’s a huge strength, but it can almost become a barrier when it comes to mental health because people may be more reluctant to reach out. One of the messages we try to promote is that asking for help is a sign of strength,” Cuthbertson said.
“If you had a concern about your livestock, you wouldn’t just try to handle it yourself. You might consult with a veterinarian or an Extension specialist to understand what’s going on. You don’t have to be alone, and you don’t have to be in crisis to ask for help either.”
The researchers conclude the NCFRSAC has been successful in connecting a group of partners to facilitate programs that support mental well-being in agricultural communities. They suggest the network can continue to be responsive by modifying approaches and expanding resources as agricultural circumstances, such as commodity prices, farm policies, and climate conditions, continue to change.
The paper, “North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center: 2020-2023: Outcomes, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations for the Future,” is published in OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine [DOI: 10.21926/obm.icm.2402037]. Authors include Josie Rudolphi, Courtney Cuthbertson, Kimberly Keller, and Rebecca Mott.
The 2020-2023 North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center programming and initiatives was funded by USDA NIFA under agreement 2020-70028-32728.
