Healthy minds, safer farms
Farming and ranching are noble jobs, but they aren't easy. Agriculture thrives when people are supported. The well-being and safety of our farmers, ranchers, and their families are just as important as caring for the land.
NDSU Extension sets free suicide prevention webinar for May 28
Research indicates that the suicide rate is significantly higher for those working in agriculture. Research also shows that stress levels and suicide rates drop significantly when people receive support and helpful resources from those around them.
North Dakota State University Extension will address ways to extend support and helpful resources for stressed individuals in agriculture in the upcoming “Question. Persuade. Refer.” suicide prevention webinar, held May 28 at 1:30 p.m.
The 90-minute webinar will address concerns of high stress levels in agriculture-related jobs and the toll they take on mental and emotional well-being.
Just as CPR training helps community members respond with help in a physical health crisis, the QPR suicide prevention training focuses on equipping participants with knowledge to recognize signs of mental health stresses or suicidal thinking. The training is also aims to help participants learn simple, practical skills to respond with support and empathy.
“A consistent message we want folks in farming to understand is that it’s OK to not be OK and that help is available,” says Sean Brotherson, NDSU Extension family science specialist. “Your health is your most important resource for daily well-being, and this training helps us put health first.”
Katie Henry and Jill Sokness, NDSU Extension agents for Cavalier and Cass counties, respectively, will facilitate the webinar.
Although the training will focus on people working in and around agriculture, anyone interested in the topic can register. The free training is supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.
Registration is limited to the first 30 participants.
For additional information, contact Adriana Drusini at adriana.drusini@ndsu.edu or Brotherson at sean.brotherson@ndsu.edu.
Farmers and ranchers understand that their job comes with high stress, high demands, and threat of loss. There are many variables in agriculture beyond one's control. So we're often responding to many unpredictable circumstances, and that can have a profound impact on how our nervous system reacts. Learning how to manage stress within farming and ranching is important.
The reality of life is that stress can affect anyone, anywhere, anytime. There is no one who is an exception from experiencing stress and adversity at some point, or many points of life, especially farmers and ranchers since so many factors about this occupation and lifestyle are uncontrollable and unpredictable.
Q: What is stress?
A: Stress is a natural response. It is meant to be activated temporarily, and once the stressor(s) is eliminated, it subsides. It is not meant to be activated for days, weeks or months on end.
Q: How is chronic stress different from stress?
A: Chronic stress leads to a nervous system that does not return to baseline range easily. Chronic stress changes how the brain is activated and wired. A stress response/trauma response can occur from a one-time event or from repeated exposure to adverse events. Long-term stress can lead to symptoms associated with anxiety and depression and might require additional support to manage and recover from the effects.
Q: Is chronic stress just in the mind?
A: Both the brain and body experience the effects of chronic stress and adversity. These reactions can be immediate, delayed, long-term or triggered by past stressors/adverse life events. Sometimes you will find you are not just reacting to the present situation because of the way that highly stressful events get stored in the brain, so you might be responding to present and past stressors all at once as they can accumulate over time if the effects are not resolved.
Symptoms of Chronic Stress
Resources
This Straight Talk podcast episode features Dr. Amy Missling talking about farm stress and building mental resilience.
Dr. Josi Rudolphi was a featured workshop speaker at the NDFB Farm and Ranch Conference several years ago, but her tips on how to deal with farm stress still make sense. Rudolphi serves as a liaison between the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She grew up on a farm in rural Iowa.
American Farm Bureau Federation's initiative Farm State of Mind, provides a number of resources as well.