Access to services starts at Togetherall, a safe, clinically moderated peer-to-peer community, where members around the world are there to listen, support and give members’ mental wellbeing a boost. Through an anonymous profile, users can access a global network of peers, backed by the safeguarding of licensed clinicians overseeing the community around-the-clock. Access to the platform is available to members of a farm family aged 16 and older.

In addition to Togetherall’s global community, farmers and their families will have access to an agricultural sector sub-group to share or read others’ experiences in a safe, judgement-free zone.

“Farming is tough even on the best days. That’s why Farm Bureau has been committed to helping farmers and ranchers across the country get connected with the tools and resources they need to promote mental health and wellbeing—and to check in on their friends, neighbors and loved ones. Togetherall will help us all to do just that,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.” It’s OK not to be OK, but it’s not OK not to reach out when you’re hurting. We are grateful for how this partnership will strengthen our rural communities and provide the support we all need.

The Farm Family Wellness Alliance is made possible through a coalition of organizations, including Farm Foundation, American Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Credit, CoBank, Iowa Farm Bureau, CHS, Land O’Lakes, National Farmers Union, 4-H, FFA, Agriculture Future of America, Togetherall and Personal Assistance Services. This coalition makes it possible to offer services to farm families nationwide and deepens the impact of an earlier pilot initiative started in Iowa with the addition of the Togetherall peer-to-peer support platform.

“Farm Foundation has been working towards the goal of improving farmer access to mental health and other wellness services for several years, with the Farm Family Wellness Alliance pilot starting in 2020 after the derecho in Iowa,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, president and CEO of Farm Foundation. “We are pleased to have been able to bring together this coalition of farmer-serving organizations into a partnership that allowed us to expand the program nationwide and will offer so much direct and immediate benefits to American farmers.”

Togetherall also offers a range of wellbeing tools, such as self-assessments and access to additional support services through a partnership with Personal Assistance Services. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, financial health, improving sleep and more.

“Navigating the challenges of farming can be tough, and other farmers are often the only other people who can understand the unique stressors of the industry. Anonymous, safe, online peer support is a critical component on the mental health support continuum, and especially important in reaching communities such as farmers, who may otherwise not reach out for support,” said Matthew McEvoy, CEO of Togetherall. “We are thrilled to partner with the Farm Family Wellness Alliance to offer Togetherall’s online, clinically moderated, peer support community to all farmers and their families across the US.”

The landmark alliance bringing Togetherall and Personal Assistance Services to farm families represents a broad swath of agricultural organizations, illustrating the far-reaching impacts of mental health and well-being in rural America.

“Farm Credit recognizes the challenges America’s farmers and ranchers face, especially related to mental health and stress. Fewer resources exist in rural areas as compared to urban areas,” said Todd Van Hoose, president and CEO of Farm Credit Council. “This free, anonymous, and safe access to mental health support offers assistance in a way nothing has before for rural Americans. We appreciate Farm Foundation’s leadership in bringing this resource to fruition.”

To learn more about the Farm Family Wellness Alliance and the services available through the Togetherall platform, visit booth 538 at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention tradeshow floor (through Monday, Jan. 22) or go to www.farmfoundation.org/farm-family-wellness-alliance/.

The post Farm Family Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Revolutionized appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Executive Summary

On September 13, 2023, the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a one-day virtual conference, U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of U.S. Agriculture. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss new interdisciplinary research at the intersection of farm household needs and the farm business and to exchange ideas to better support farm households and U.S. agriculture.

The presentations and discussions highlighted ways that farm household well-being directly influences farm business viability and decision-making. Participants noted that while household factors have not always been a focus of agricultural policy, they require consideration to support family farm production and encourage new farm entrants. Some presentations addressed particular social supports, including access to health insurance, childcare, and financial services that intersect with the goals of strengthening rural economies and communities more generally. Other themes that emerged included the need for data on both farm households and their businesses to study these linkages and the role of non-financial considerations in farm business decision-making. As the structure of agriculture has changed, the needs of farm households have grown increasingly diverse. However, the capacity of rural communities to provide services, such as health care and mental health services, childcare, and other social and economic supports, has often lagged. This conference brought together interested stakeholders to begin a conversation on a more holistic means of supporting U.S. agricultural production by considering household-level support. All authors presenting original research were invited to prepare manuscripts for a special issue of Agriculture and Human Values (a Springer journal) related to the conference theme, to be published in late 2024. 

Conference Overview

On September 13, 2023, the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a one-day virtual conference focused on U.S. farm households’ socioeconomic needs. The event brought together a wide range of social science researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss new research at the intersection of farm household needs and the farm business and to exchange ideas to better support farm households and U.S. agriculture. The day’s agenda, including research paper authors and their affiliations, can be found in Appendix A below.

The conference began with opening remarks from USDA Deputy Secretary Torres Small, highlighting the important but less studied need to support farm households in ways that go beyond programs focused on agricultural production and the farm business. A panel discussion among farmers and farm service providers offered concrete perspectives on how initiatives like strengthening rural communities, promoting mental health, access to childcare and healthcare support farm viability and recruiting new and diverse farmers.

The themes covered in the opening session were revisited throughout the day during research presentations and informal topical discussions among participants. All of the presentations spoke to the conference theme of linkages between farm households’ well-being and farm business success, but a presentation by Douglas Jackson-Smith was perhaps the most direct. He showed evidence that household shocks, including health changes, divorce, and death, were more predictive of farm survival and exit during the pandemic than farm-level financial shocks. A presentation by Renee Wiatt and Maria Marshall echoed these findings by showing that socioemotional wealth influences farm succession decisions in addition to farm financial health.

“Household shocks, including health changes, divorce, and death, were more predictive of farm survival and exit during the pandemic than farm-level financial shocks.”

Many presentations highlighted the role of communities and the rural economy in supporting farm households and businesses – a theme that members of the opening panel returned to repeatedly in their remarks. Analena Bruce discussed the importance of understanding the broader systems that farmers operate in to understand agricultural production and whether farming is viable. Farm viability depends on factors other than income generation, including mental and physical health. Bruce mentioned that low levels of farm income cause farm households to rely on off-farm income to meet health insurance and economic needs. This topic was addressed directly by Allie Bauman’s work showing that the expansion of Medicaid eligibility allowed beginning farmers to work less off-farm and more on-farm, which may increase farm survival rates. Florence Becot conducted a survey of farm households with children and showed that childcare costs and availability are challenges for 74 percent of farm households. While rural childcare is a community-wide issue, farm households indicated direct tradeoffs between caring for children and investing time and money in their farm businesses, suggesting the interplay between strong social supports for rural communities and the ability to make a living farming.

Another theme of the conference was the diversity of farm households in terms of characteristics, farm production, income, and needs. Mary Ahearn’s presentation outlined ways in which the profession has pursued better data collection on both the farm household and farm business as an essential input for assessing farm household economic needs and the linkages with farm business outcomes and agricultural policy. As an example of improved data, she talked about how women operators were not accounted for in official data, which once remedied reflected their large contributions to agricultural production. Two presentations made use of the contemporary USDA dataset Ahearn discussed covering both household and farm-level information. Katherine Lim used the Agricultural and Resource Management Survey (ARMS) to study older farm households’ income sources and retirement savings, finding that many older farm households rely heavily on social security income and private pensions, and that the majority have a private retirement account. Farm operators of color; however, have lower levels of retirement savings and lower levels of income overall. Tia McDonald combined ARMS with bank branch location data to show that being geographically closer to a physical bank branch was associated with increases in savings behavior among farm households again highlighting the intersection of strong rural communities with farm household well-being and farm operation financial performance.

This conference brought together stakeholders to study and address challenges faced by farm households. The throughline theme from the conference is that household needs directly affect farm business viability and decision-making. These linkages have not always been evident to researchers and therefore have not been a focus in the development and analysis of agricultural policy. Household social and economic needs intersect with non-agricultural policy and rural development more generally; however, farm households may face unique challenges associated with their status as agricultural producers. To better understand the challenges faced by the diverse population of farms and farm households, it would be beneficial to continue and expand collection of detailed qualitative and quantitative data.

Katherine Lim is a USDA ERS Agricultural Research Economist.

Appendix A: Conference Agenda

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Welcome Address & Panel Discussion

Welcome Address: 9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

Shoshanah Inwood, The Ohio State University

USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small

Moderated by:

Martha King, Farm Foundation 

Panel Discussion: 9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

Moderated by:

Matt Russell, USDA Farm Service Agency 

Panel Participants:

Dr. Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, American Farmland Trust

Adam Alson, Alson Farms and Appleseed Childhood Education

Mary Saunders Bulan, Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Rural Vermont 

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Session One, Farm Families’ Persistence and Well Being

Farm Operator Household Well-Being Measurement And Analysis: The Past 50 Years And Future Directions. Mary Clare Ahearn, National Center for Agricultural Policy, and Ashok Mishra, University of Arizona.  

Factors Associated with Farm Survival and Exit During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ohio. Douglas Jackson-Smith, Ohio State University, Tiffany Woods, Shoshannah Inwood, Julia Linder, and Lauren Gallander 

Discussion Moderator: Becca Jablonski, Colorado State University 

Break & Networking Lounge

Enjoy your lunch while making new connections, collaborations, and digging deeper into the issues with subject matter experts. Discussion tables will convene conference participants with government representatives, farmers, technical service providers, and researchers on specific social and economic needs and common ground issues.

Participants will be automatically assigned to a specific breakout room table topic. You can leave the room at any time and rejoin the lobby area to switch to a different table topic. 

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Session Two, Farm Viability in the Face of Social and Economic Needs

“A Farm is Viable If It Can Keep Its Head Above Water”; Farm Viability, Persistence, And The Sustainability Of Agriculture in New England. Analena Bruce (University of New Hampshire), Cindy Zheng, and Elise Neideker

The Impact of Expanded Health Care Coverage On U.S. Beginning Farmers And Ranchers. Allie Bauman (Colorado State University), and Becca Jablonski

Farm Families’ Challenges Meeting Their Social And Economic Needs And The Consequences On the Farm Business:  The Example of Childcare. Florence Becot (National Farm Medicine Center) and Shoshanah Inwood (Ohio State University) 

Discussion Moderator: Jessica Crowe, USDA-ERS

2:05 PM – 3:35 PM: Session Three, Overcoming Barriers to Meeting Farm Household and Farm Business Goals

Farm Households and Retirement:  Incomes Sources and Savings Behavior. Katherine Lim (USDA Economic Research Service) and Ashley Spalding

“Rich And Ready To Go Or Stay And Grow”?  A Succession Preparedness Study Of U.S. Farmers in the North Central Region. Authors: Renee Wiatt (Purdue University) and Maria I. Marshall

Distance To Commercial Banks And Farm Household Use of Financial Services. Tia McDonald (USDA, Economic Research Service) and Noah Miller 

Discussion Moderator:  Shoshanah Inwood, The Ohio State University 

3:35 PM – 4:00 PM, Closing Remarks

Panel of organizers reflecting on the conference, discussion questions, and concluding thoughts.

The post Farm Household Needs Directly Affect Farm Business Viability appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Selected papers to be presented at the U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of Agriculture Conference, September 2023

Very little is known about how household challenges impact the farm business. Directly connected to this knowledge gap is a limited understanding of the ways in which existing social programs and policies (which are specifically designed to meet these needs) may support farm sector profitability, survivability, and resilience. To help close this knowledge gap, the USDA’s Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, are issuing a call for papers to be submitted for consideration for the U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of Agriculture virtual conference taking place on September 13, 2023.  

Through a mix of paper presentations and panel discussions, the goal of this one-day conference is to:   

1) Broaden the long-standing body of work seeking to understand why, how, and which farm families are able to cultivate successful farm businesses in the face of on-going changes and the inherent instability of the agricultural sector,  
2) Initiate the scientific debate on the linkages between farm households’ social and economic needs, social policies, and farm business development,  
3) Develop new networks of family farm scholars working on these topics,  
4) Better understand data available to understand these relationships, as well as identify data gaps.  

In particular, Farm Foundation seeks theoretical, empirical, and discussion papers at the intersection of farm households’ social and economic needs, social programs and policies, and farm business viability. The papers can be based on new research or can revisit data previously analyzed with a new eye towards the focus of this conference. 

All abstracts should be limited to 350 words and must be submitted through the online application portal by July 14, 2023.  

The conference is being organized by the National Farm Medicine Center, The Ohio State University, Colorado State University, USDA ERS, and Farm Foundation.  

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Sustainability in the agriculture industry is an evolving topic and is commonly on the forefront of consumers’ minds. Agricultural sustainability is often defined as meeting the food and fiber needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations. In general, sustainability consists of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social. Environmental and economic sustainability are the most understood and discussed components of sustainability, especially as related to the American agriculture industry. However, social considerations in agriculture are often left out of sustainability discussions in the industry, particularly related to farmer physical and mental health.

Agriculture is continually ranked as one of the most dangerous professions and farmers have the highest risks of deaths due to stress-related conditions (Fraser, 2005; BLS 2019; Yazd, 2019). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2018) also reported that from 2000 to 2016 the suicide rate for male farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers was double that of the general population. Because of the unique demographics of U.S. farmers and ranchers, they face unique challenges when it comes to the accessibility, availability, and acceptance of mental health care. On a positive a note, many agriculture companies, trade associations, and government agencies have recognized the importance of mental and physical health issues in agriculture and have devoted resources to improve each. As the agriculture industry continues to improve its sustainability, consideration of producer mental and physical health will be an important component of the discussion moving forward.  

While the lifestyle of America’s farmers and ranchers is often portrayed as a peaceful and wholesome endeavor, farmers and ranchers face unique challenges that impact both their physical and mental health. Some of this is due to a lack of mental health services in rural communities. Additionally, agriculture continually ranks among the top 10 most dangerous professions of any industry (Fraser, 2005; BLS 2019). Fraser et. al (2005) states, “There is also growing acknowledgement of the significant psychological hazards associated with agriculture, including high levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and increased rates of suicide.” Farming and ranching require physically demanding work, often causing the farmer or rancher to work for long hours in diverse weather conditions. Oftentimes, farmers and ranchers view mental health concerns as an “urban issue,” and only recently have they considered the impacts it has in their communities.

Unique Challenges

Farmers and ranchers are known for their independence and resilience. However, they face unique challenges related to unexpected weather conditions and market fluctuations that are unlike the challenges faced in other occupations and industries. These challenges can lead to a buildup of stress that greatly impacts their mental health. The inherent risk experienced by those involved in production agriculture can be a source of stress for farmers and ranchers. United States farmers and ranchers commonly report commodity prices, time pressures, environmental conditions, and isolation as sources of stress (Rudolphi, 2019; NFU 2019). After reviewing studies on mental health in farming communities around the world, Yazd (2019) found that the four most-cited influences on farmers’ mental health were pesticide exposure, financial difficulties, climate variabilities/drought, and poor physical health/past injuries. Other common risks factors identified were commodity prices, debt, climate change, drought, overwork, government regulations, isolation, role conflict, time pressure, and poor housing (Yazd, 2019). Athena Diesch-Chham, a clinical veterinary social worker, suggests factors such as epidemic illnesses in livestock, falling commodity prices, and increased farm debt load in conjunction with the rural mindset – the idea you can convince yourself to be happy and work yourself out of depression – creates a formula for a “perfect storm for stress and the effects of it” (Shike, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has also had impacts on the agriculture industry, adding another layer of uncertainty and stress on farmers and ranchers. Staehr (2020) of the NY FarmNet emphasizes, “Stress cannot be avoided; nonetheless, one can take steps to identify stressors and manage them by putting together a plan for the future.” In addition, as Jones (2018), points out, farmers have historically enjoyed independence; however they are now forced to complete documentation of their farming practices to demonstrate accountability to environmental and animal protection groups. Although there are benefits to this accountability in production agriculture, it can add additional stress to farmers and ranchers.

According to the World Health Organization (2007), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (Yazd, 2019). Farmers and ranchers are tied to their occupations in a different way than any other industry, which makes mental health discussions in the agriculture industry a very dynamic topic. Many farmers and ranchers consider their occupation a way of life, not simply a profession that they are in for financial reasons. Additionally, farm families’ heritage, identity, pride, and finances are tied directly to the farm (NY FarmNet, 2020). Jones (2018) states, “farmers often describe health as the ability to do work, and their stress level increases as aging farmers are no longer able to engage in the normal work routine on the farm.” In production agriculture, the operation’s most important asset is the farmer or rancher, therefore their mental health is imperative. Brotherson (2019) states, “your health is your most important asset as a farmer or rancher and good stress management is good farm management.” Poor mental health impacts a person’s decision-making abilities, which can affect every level of a farmer or rancher’s life, as the ability to make important and quick decisions is a daily task for farmers and ranchers.

Farmers and ranchers face a multitude of challenges in terms of both seeking and accessing mental health resources in rural communities. Accessibility, availability, and acceptance are three of the main hurdles those in rural areas face when it comes to mental health resources (Farm Aid, 2018). The travel distance to mental health offices, current rural shortage of mental health professionals, and stigma associated with needing and receiving mental health support are all barriers that need solutions in order to improve mental health conditions among farmers and ranchers. However, despite the barriers, the National Council of Family Relations (NCFR) is optimistic that farmers, ranchers, and their families can be taught stress management techniques, and that their communities can provide support, and work to address the stigma associated with mental health (Braun, 2019).

Mental Health Resources

Resources such as hotlines and support groups are becoming more common for farmers and ranchers facing mental health challenges. These include FarmAid, Avera Farmer and Rural Stress Hotline, the Farm Crisis Center, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and many others. A specific example is Rural Resistance Training, a free, online training course to help farmers, their families, and community members, cope with farm related stress (Farm Credit, 2020). Additionally, in the 2018 Farm Bill, authorization for a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network was granted and funded. Through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, a $7.2 million dollar grant was awarded to the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center (NCFRSAC), a 12-state collaborative that will create and expand stress management and mental health resources and services to agricultural producers and stakeholders in the North Central region, in 2020 (Henry, 2020). The purpose of such programs is to reduce barriers in rural communities related to accessing mental health treatment.

The mental and physical health of America’s farmers and ranchers is an area worthy of further research and discussion, as they directly impact the social sustainability of agriculture production in the United States. There are social, economic, and environmental factors that can impact their mental health, such as stigma, economic volatility, and weather uncertainty. Thus, holistic considerations of the three pillars of sustainability, which are environmental, social, and economic, is critical as poor environmental and economic conditions impact farmers’ and ranchers’ mental health. Braun (2019) of the National Council on Family Relations states, “The physical, economic, and social environments in which farm families live and work contribute stressors that go beyond individual stress management. The impacts of these stressors are more than private problems. They are public issues deserving of a socioecological public policy response.” Rural communities have a significant role to play in bettering the mental health conditions for farmers and ranchers, however Yazd (2019) recommends greater systems thinking is needed to adequately address the challenges and barriers.

Amber Oerly is currently a master’s student at Kansas State University studying agricultural economics. Amber is a 2022 Agriculture Scholar Fellow with the Farm Foundation. She previously interned with the National Grazing Lands Coalition (NatGLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), where she had the opportunity to research mental health challenges in the agriculture industry. Amber would like to acknowledge NatGLC and NCBA for giving her the opportunity to learn about farmer mental and physical health, as it gave her a foundation for the content of this blog.

Editor’s note: As Amber mentions in her blog post, there is a growing number of resources available to farmers to support their mental health and general wellness. One of these is the Farm Family Wellness Alliance, which provides wellness services to farm families in Illinois and Iowa at no cost. This program is made possible through the support of Farm Foundation, Personal Assistance Services, Iowa State University, and Iowa Farm Bureau.

References

BLS. (2019). National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2019. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

Brotherson, Sean. (2019). Stress Warning Signs and Coping Resources in Farming and Ranching. North Dakota State University. https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/farmranchstress/latest-news/stress-warning-signs-and-coping-resources-in-farming-and-ranching

CDC. (2018). Suicide Rates by Major Occupational Group – 17 States, 2012 and 2015. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6745a1.htm

Farm Aid. (2018). Why Farmers Face Unique Threats from Stress. https://www.farmaid.org/blog/fact-sheet/why-farmers-face-unique-threats-from-stress/

Farm Credit. (2020). Rural Resilience Course Strengthens Farmers’ Community Safety Net. Rural Resistance. https://farmcredit.com/blog/rural-resilience-course-strengthens-farmers-community-safety-net

Fraser, C.E., et. al. (2005). Farming and Mental Health Problems and Mental Illness. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16400909/

Henry, Stephanie. (2020). U of I receives funding to create, expand mental health resource network for farmers. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Aces News. https://aces.illinois.edu/news/u-i-receives-funding-create-expand-mental-health-resource-network-farmers

National Farmers Union. (2019). Farm Groups Partner to Help Farmers Mange Stress. https://nfu.org/2019/12/11/farm-groups-partner-to-help-farmers-manage-stress/

NY FarmNet. (2020). Managing Stress Management. Farm Stress — NY FarmNet

Rudolphi, Josie. et. al. (2019). Who and How: Exploring the Preferred Senders and Channels of Mental Health Information for Wisconsin Farmers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6843526/pdf/ijerph-16-03836.pdf

Shike, Jennifer. (2021). Stress Prevention and Treatment: It’s Not Just for Cows. Bovine Veterinarian. https://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/veterinary-education/stress-prevention-and-treatment-its-not-just-cows

Staehr, Ed. (2020). Managing Financial Stress on the Farm in Uncertain Times. NY FarmNet. COVID+Financial+Stress+on+the+Farm+Final.pdf (squarespace.com)

World Health Organization. Mental Health: Strengthening Mental Health Promotion; Fact Sheet No 220; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2007. https://mindyourmindproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/WHO-Statement-on-Mental-Health-Promotion.pdf

Yazd, Sahar. et. al. (2019). Key Risk Factors Affecting Farmers’ Mental Health: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. IJERPH | Free Full-Text | Key Risk Factors Affecting Farmers’ Mental Health: A Systematic Review | HTML (mdpi.com)

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[OAK BROOK, Ill.]—Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, announces that its Farm Family Wellness Alliance program, launched last year in Iowa, is expanding its service area to include all farm families in Illinois.

“We are grateful to the partners, including Iowa State University, who collaborated with us to launch this program in Iowa in 2020,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation President and CEO. “Farmer health continues to be one of our strategic priorities at Farm Foundation, and our goal has always been to expand access to more families in more states as we work to continue to scale this program. Now, we are thrilled to make free, confidential mental health and other wellness services to all farm families in Illinois in addition to Iowa.”

Professional coaching and counseling will continue to be provided through Personal Assistance Services, which will now deliver its wide range of services directly to farm families in Iowa and Illinois. All services are pre-paid through funding obtained by Farm Foundation, meaning that all generations within a farm family may access one-on-one coaching and counseling at no cost to them. Services include ongoing counseling sessions to help manage anxiety, depression, stress, substance use, as well as resources to help with a variety of life needs such as health and nutrition management, organization and time management career and retirement planning, childcare and elder care and much more.

Services are available conveniently via phone, text, live chat or app. Farm families in Iowa and Illinois may call 1-833-999-FARM (3276) or visit farmfamilywellness.com to learn more and access the full range of pre-paid, confidential services from PAS.

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[OAK BROOK, Ill.]—Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, announced a new program to bring pre-paid, ongoing behavioral health services, including wellness coaching and counseling, to farm families in 20 Iowa counties via telehealth options including phone, text, live chat, video or app. Building upon existing sources of 24/7 referrals and education, these direct services offer farm families access to necessary professional support for a variety of life challenges confidentially, when and how it is most convenient for them, at no cost.

Professional coaching and counseling is provided through Personal Assistance Services (PAS), which has been engaged to deliver its wide range of services directly to Iowa farm families. Farm Foundation obtained funding to create a program that will provide access to contracted, top-quality televideo and telephonic counseling and other resources to farm families free of charge. The program is being launched in 20 counties, which were chosen due to the impact of the August 2020 derecho on farms in those areas. In partnership with Farm Foundation, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is raising awareness about the new services. The resulting Iowa Farm Family Wellness Alliance hopes to grow its impact over time, bringing important wellness resources to even more families across Iowa and beyond.

“Farmer health is one of the strategic priorities for our work, and being the conduit to bring these direct support services to farm families through collaboration aligns perfectly with our role as an accelerator of solutions,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation President and CEO. “On top of the typical stress of farming, families in the 20 launch counties are facing not just additional stressors from the pandemic, but also the fallout from the derecho. While we are beginning in these counties, we are actively seeking additional partners to help us scale this program to reach farmers across Iowa and eventually nationwide.”

PAS professionals are available to help all generations of farm families with many life challenges, including: health and nutrition; tobacco cessation; organization and time management; career and retirement planning; child care and elder care; anxiety, depression, stress, addictions, substance use and more. These newly available services, which focus on one-on-one intervention, complement the education and referral resources already available statewide through Iowa Concern, which has been offered through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach since 1985.

“Farm families face extraordinary challenges. As rural entrepreneurs, they don’t always have easy access to the resources they might need,” added Rogge-Fidler. “We are pleased to bring a coalition of partners together to provide greater access to assistance for many different issues that impact wellness.”

Iowa Concern continues to be available to all Iowans by calling 1-800-447-1985. Families wishing to take advantage of the newly available pre-paid, ongoing coaching and counseling services through PAS can get started by calling 1-833-999-FARM (3276). The new free, one-on-one coaching and counseling services are initially available to farm families in Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Greene, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, Tama and Washington counties.

Learn more about the Iowa Farm Family Wellness Alliance at https://www.farmfoundation.org/iowa-farm-family-wellness/.

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