Starting or taking over a family farming operation is an inherently stressful enterprise. And failing to plan for the impact stress can have on mental health poses real risk for any small business. At Flat Rock Dairy in Paulding, Ohio, dairy farmer Gretl Schlatter and Ohio State University Extension educator Sarah Noggle are working to normalize conversations with farmers about stress, and offer support to those who need it.
Noggle, who focuses on farm stress in her Extension role, knows how hard it can be for farmers who value self-reliance and grit to ask for help. “By the time someone asks for help, it’s already serious,” she says.
“Sometimes you feel isolated and alone. Maybe your farm is going through a stressor that your neighbors are not,” says Schlatter. “When you're looking for resources and you're drawing a blank, Extension is a great place to turn. It connects you to your local community, mentor groups, peer groups, and other people who have either been there or are going through these stressors at the same time.”
In Ohio, OSU Extension launched Farm Stress Certified, a training series designed to help mental health professionals understand and assist rural communities. “We go out and interview farmers and then those counselors can make those connections,” says Noggle, who also serves as a state coordinator for the SARE program in Ohio.
Nationwide, programs like this are helping farmers reflect, plan ahead and find strength in connection. To learn more about successful SARE-funded projects that used innovative strategies to help farmers and ranchers manage stress, see Managing Stress. Find a cooperative extension office near you at https://landgrantimpacts.org/extension/.
“We have to address some of these issues,” says Noggle. “These stresses will come again...so how are we going to handle this better next time?”
This video is one in a series produced by SARE titled Practical Tips for Beginning Farmers. Based on their own experiences when starting out, farmers from across the country share advice about common challenges facing beginning farmers in today's agriculture. To view the entire series, visit www.sare.org/resources/practical-tips-for-beginning-farmers/.
For information on grants and resources available from SARE, visit www.sare.org.