SVM_Todays Farm_070919

Today’s Farm

MENTAL HEALTH ON THE FARM

Growing depression With floodwaters and farm debt rising, and no cease fire yet in the trade war, it’s been a tough row to hoe for farmers lately, and some are having a hard time coping

ALSO INSIDE Lee County farmers contend with ‘unrelenting’ rain PAGE 6 Tuesday, July 9, 2019 | A supplement to Sauk Valley Media Rusty Schrader/SVM illustration

MENTAL HEALTH | MIDWEST FARMERS

Feeling down on the farm With floodwaters and farm debt rising, and no cease fire yet in the trade war, it’s been a tough row to hoe for farmers lately, and some are having a hard time coping

BY APRIL SIMPSON Tribune News Service

WASHINGTON – In the weeks after flooding drowned the livelihoods of families who’ve farmed along the Missouri River for generations, rural advocates in the Midwest began gearing up for another crisis.

The devastating floods increased concerns about the mental health and well-being of farmers who already were struggling with yearslong economic uncertainty.

Groups in flood-affected states such as Nebraska say they are preparing to provide mental and emotional support to devastated farmers.

Meanwhile, the federal government has yet to begin implementing a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network that was revived in the 2018 farm bill.

Farmers have weathered years of a slow decline, but advocates worry they could crumble under the sudden pressures created by the natural disaster. Tough financial situations are a key driver of mental distress among farmers, according to experts.

“We’re in a fragile place because once you get through the flood itself and the adrenaline wears off, then the enormity of the flood and the consequences settle in,” said John

Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union.

“There’s a huge emotional load if you’re the one who loses the family business, especially if that business is how you define yourself as a person,” Hansen said.

Many farmers have persisted over 5 years of low commodity prices, further strained by the Trump administration’s trade tariffs. Meanwhile, net farm income has fallen nearly 50 percent from its peak in 2013, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture in late February, weeks before the flooding.

Farm debt has risen more rapidly over the past 5 years, increasing by nearly a third since 2013 to levels last seen during the 1980s, according to Perdue’s testimony.

And though loan demand remains historically high, the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Program in 2018 saw another slight annual decline in lending. “Increasing farm financial stress could lead commercial lenders to seek more loan guarantees,” Perdue said, while the Farm Service Agency may see an increase in repayment difficulties.

Farm families live through hope

and optimism from one year to the next, but when things get tight, there’s often a rise in anxiety and depression, experts said.

University of Iowa research that tracked suicides and homicides among farmers and agriculture workers between 1992 and 2010 found that they had a higher rate of suicides than workers in other occupations.

Farm families often have held the same land for generations, and it means everything to them, said Michael Rosmann, a clinical psychologist and farmer in Harlan, Iowa, who serves the agricultural population.

When threatened with the loss of land, stressed farmers increase their workload, but sometimes the farmers become so overwhelmed they can’t sleep properly or make sound decisions. That’s when counseling helps them manage their behavior and their farming operations,

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Rosmann said.

“Any threat to the loss of the land, or the assets needed to farm, and farmers react by doubling down in their work ethic,” Rosmann said. “But they have learned how to take into account their behavioral well-being, so they don’t overdo it as much.”

About 55 percent of people who contact Rosmann are men, which shows they’re not as reluctant as they were even a decade ago when women were still more likely to seek behavioral health assistance, he said. He receives between four and 12 contacts a week.

Increasing awareness of mental health and emotional well-being in farm magazines and newspapers has helped. Community meetings involving businesspersons and farmers strategizing together also help curb social isolation and broaden options when making sound decisions, Rosmann said.

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Charlie Griffin

Retired professor and former member of the Governor’s Mental Health Task Force in Kansas Agriwellness’ collaborative projects, directed by Rosmann across seven Midwestern states, which ended in 2014. Each state had a helpline that advised callers on legal and financial issues, disaster assistance and accessing free counseling services, while the program provided support groups for farmers and families.

“People need help,” Griffin said. “They are not going to pull through it by cowboying it through on their own without any other assistance.”

Lawmakers acknowledged the need for mental health support in the 2018 farm bill, which President Donald Trump signed in December. The bill reauthorized the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, which was first authorized in the 2008 farm bill, but was never funded and expired in 2012.

“Times were pretty good in farm country at the time the 2014 farm bill was written,” said Matt

VandeVoorde Sales Inc

Perdue, government relations director with the National Farmers Union, which lists resources available to farmers on a Farm Crisis Center webpage. “To be frank, there just didn’t seem to be many folks paying attention to the program.”

The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network would provide mental health support for farmers via grants to state departments of agriculture, state cooperative extension services and nonprofits. They would develop stress assistance programs, including counseling, farm telephone helplines and websites, training for advocates, support

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• July 9, 2019

Difficult decisions about selling land affect everyone in the family differently, and not always at the same time, said Charlie Griffin, a retired professor with the School of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University, and former member of the Governor’s Mental Health Task Force in Kansas. The loss of land can affect families over two to three generations and often results in an increase in stress and family conflict, including marital difficulties, Griffin said.

Both Rosmann and Griffin recommend a broad approach to supporting farmers that includes therapists, financial counselors, attorneys, farm management specialists, career specialists and faith-based providers.

Between 1985 and 1994, Griffin was a mental health counselor with a farm hotline called Farmers Assistance Counseling and Training Service, or FACTS, which ended when farm bill funding dedicated to addressing the 1980s farm crisis dried up, Griffin said.

He went on to participate in

groups, outreach services and activities, and when necessary, home delivery of assistance.

Rural and farm advocacy groups sent a letter to congressional appropriators March 25, weeks after the historic crest in the Missouri River, asking for the full $10 million in funding per year.

“I think there are a number of people across the state who are waiting for that funding to come down, so they’re equipped to hire people with expertise in behavioral health,” said Griffin of Kansas.

Farmers hadn’t started the year optimistic about government assistance. Many already were anxious about late passage of the farm bill in December, followed by a government shutdown that strained the USDA and other government agencies, according to advocates.

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TODAY’S FARM | Sauk Valley Media

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“People need help. They are not going to pull through it by cowboying it through on their own without any other assistance.”

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Now, the floods may have stripped many farmers’ land of the soil it needs to grow crops, which could take years to return to production.

Some farmers have been storing grain for several years in anticipation of better prices, but floodwaters eroded their land and contaminated the grain. Neither USDA disaster programs nor insurance policies cover stored grain. Crop insurance may cover inputs, such as chemical and fertilizer, but it won’t provide additional income to support households.

“It’s going to spell the end for a lot of folks who don’t have the capability to ride it out until things get rosier,” said Joe Schroeder, a farmer advocate who speaks to distraught farmers through the Farm Aid hotline, which provides support services to farm families in crisis.

Even losing livestock, for some, can affect mental stability, said Greg Ibach, USDA undersecretary of marketing and regulatory programs, at the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., March 18. “It’s almost like losing family in many cases,” Ibach said.

Some families have spent decades

The Farm Center Crisis websites provides information on mental health resources for farmers, links to disaster aid, how to contact the suicide prevention hotline, and a raft of other resources to help farm families.

Go to farmcrisis.nfu.org for more information. building up a herd with marketable traits and genetics, said Cora Fox, a policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska.

Farmers can expect a gap before federal funds hit. Congress went on 2-week recess until April 29 without passing a disaster relief bill.

Nebraska and Iowa have reported billion-dollar losses.

Nebraska, among the hardest-hit states, is preparing to boost support of farmers’ emotional and behavioral health after the historic floods.

The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline, the longest continuously serving farm crisis hotline in the country, provides no-cost vouchers for counseling services to farmers in need. Michelle Soll, who takes farmers’ desperate calls, has empathy: Her family’s 192-acre farm flooded too.

Even before the floods, the hotline was receiving record numbers of calls for counseling outreach and mental health therapy this year,

according to organizers. Year-overyear program calls increased by nearly 90 percent when comparing January 2018 with January 2019, according to data provided by Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska, a statewide ecumenical agency that provides the hotline alongside local partners.

Year-over-year program calls increased by nearly half when comparing February 2018 with February 2019, but dipped about 16 percent from March 2018 to March 2019, which organizers attributed to people taking care of their immediate needs.

“We are seeing a gradual increase, and we expect in the next few weeks we’ll have pretty close to 50 percent more calls than we’ve experienced in the last year or two,” said the Rev. Jerry Albright, the hotline’s administrator.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension also held a “Wellness in Tough Times” webinar April 23 for

farmers and ranchers and their families. During the 30-minute webinar, attendees could ask questions privately through a chat box.

Bank lenders also need help, said Susan Harris-Broomfield, a University of Nebraska Extension educator focused on rural health, wellness and safety. Many must tell farmers and ranchers they may not qualify for loans that sustain their operations. A USDA county executive director told Broomfeidl she had a farmer crying in her office because of financial challenges and she didn’t know how to respond.

“This is exactly the kind of thing that will happen more due to the stress of the flood,” she said.

During the interactive sessions, participants will practice having awkward conversations, Harris-Broomfield said. Oftentimes people are confident meeting neighbors’ physical needs, but are afraid to ask uncomfortable questions, such as whether people are considering suicide.

“The most important thing is to not ignore someone who you think is experiencing extreme stress,” Harris-Broomfield said. “Practice active listening without judgment. There may be some awkward conversations, but this is an awkward time.

Things are going to be tough and we just have to roll with it.”

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Rep. Cheri Bustos talks with area farmers at Jeff Brooks’ farm in rural Prophetstown on June 6. During a listening session at the farm, Bustos heard from Brooks and other Whiteside County farmers, who voiced their concerns over their anticipated crop yield, the tariff war between the U.S. and Mexico, and other issues. stable trade policies – introducing bills to expand agricultural trade with Cuba and mitigate the financial damage for farmers resulting from ongoing trade disputes.

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• July 9, 2019

WASHINGTON –Rep. Cheri Bustos was awarded the American Agri-Women Champion of Agriculture Award on June 11.

In recognition of her work to promote farm exports, Bustos was presented with the award by Shannon dairy farmer Ardath DeWall and American Agri-Women president Jeanette Lombardo.

“I’m humbled to receive the Champion of Agriculture Award and I want to thank the American Agri-Women for this honor,” the Democratic House member said in a news release. “Between the president’s reckless trade policies and the historic flooding across the country, our farmers are hurting right now and need stable leadership from Washington. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I’ll continue to give a voice to the growers and producers in our district as they navigate this tough farm economy.”

DeWall said that Bustos has been “a strong advocate for rural communities in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District and always fights for our farmers. In Congress, she’s been a tireless champion fighting to expand our markets and grow the agricultural economy.”

Bustos serves on both the House Appropriations and Agriculture Committees. Last year, she helped pass a robust Farm Bill that included her legislation to help new and beginning farmers improve rural health delivery and crack down on the opioid epidemic that’s ravaging American’s communities. She’s also led the charge for

TODAY’S FARM | Sauk Valley Media

Bustos earns Champion of Ag Award

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FLOODING FALLOUT | SAUK VALLEY

Dealing with nature’s curveball Lee County Farm Bureau president and his fellow farmers contend with unrelenting rain DANIEL GRANT FarmWeekNow.com

AMBOY – Like most farmers this season, Don Meyer had a hard enough time planting fields once.

But making a second pass proved twice as challenging for the Lee County Farm Bureau president, who plants a significant portion of his acres to seed corn.

“Seed corn is a lot more challenging in a year like this. You have to go across the field two times [to plant female and then male rows],” Meyer said on a rare sunny day recently as he geared up to plant bull rows. “We’ve got to get some male rows in before it rains again.”

Meyer managed to plant the majority of his crops by the second week of June, ahead of more showers.

He stuck to his plans for seed corn production but switched some of his private acres from corn to soybeans.

“Last week ( June 9-16), a lot of corn went in Lee County,” said Meyer, who farms near Amboy. “I think more was planted the second week of June than any other week around here this year.

“We are 90% done planting [as of June 18],” he said. “It’s in my best interest to get the seed corn in as it likely will be more profitable. But I switched a significant amount of

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amount of prevented plant acres, Meyer said that at least crop insurance should help many farms survive the financial hardship this season.

That wasn’t the case in 1960.

Meyer said his father, Gordon, pointed out that this planting season was more challenging in Lee County than in 1960, when a rainy pattern kept farmers out of fields until about Memorial Day that year.

“The big thing is crop insurance. People won’t be happy [filing claims], but it shouldn’t be as devastating as it could’ve been [withDaniel Grant/FarmWeekNow.com Don Meyer, Lee County Farm out prevented plant insurance],” Bureau president, gets ready to he said. “That’s a huge difference head to the fields to plant bull seed between this year and 1960.”

Meyer, who has served on the Lee corn rows. As of June 18, he had County Farm Bureau board the completed 90% of his planting. past 15 years, farms with his brothmy [personal] acres from corn to er, Rex, and his son, Paul, who soybeans. It was just getting too recently returned from Michigan late.”

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Meyer’s farm got about 12 inches of rain the past several weeks, with constant showers dousing fields with about 2 inches per week.

“You hear about the flooding, but the bigger problem is the frequency of showers this year,” Meyer said. “It’s been unrelenting.”

And, while farmers are frustrated with late planting and a large

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More online

Go to FarmWeekNow’s website at shawurl.com/3beb to hear Meyer discuss the challenges of trying to plant seed corn this season on his farm near Amboy.

More information

Lee County Farm Bureau 37 S. East Ave/P.O. Box 198, Amboy 815-857-3531 Fax: 815-857-3532 Email: leecfb@comcast.net Office hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday Online: Go to leecfb.org or follow the Bureau on Facebook Meyer’s grandfather purchased the home farm in 1944 and operated a dairy. The family also raised beef cattle before switching their focus to crop production. The Meyers also previously grew vegetables for Del Monte Foods.

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• July 9, 2019

MOUNT STERLING, Iowa – In the sleepy rural area of Van Buren County, a farmer’s daughter is trending on a digital platform.

Karen Livesay-Fitch took over operations of the “A Better Way to Farm” Facebook page shortly after her parents, Bob and Sheila Livesay, created it in 2012. Her folks live in Mount Sterling and along with products they sell on the page they also have a cattle operation and harvest corn and hay for the livestock.

“It’s great that we can work together as a family and everybody has their independent roles they excel at,” Sheila Livesay said of working with her daughter and family.

It was a natural transition for Livesay-Fitch, who had more time to dedicate to the site after graduating from Culver Stockton College in 2015.

With her on site full-time, the page grew from 1,200 likes to more than 80,000, with about 1,000 comments per week.

“There is no time off the clock,” said Livesay-Fitch. “I love doing it.”

The business model is to sell advice and products from Conklin

to farmers. The Conklin products help farmers increase yields and decrease production cost through soil tests. They essentially help clients, as their page says, find a better way to farm.

“Tests for micro-nutrients are a big part of successful farming,” said Livesay-Fitch. “We do agronomy education to help our clients be empowered to make better decisions and make more money.”

Her parents began with the product 27 years ago by talking with neighbors and friends in the Tristate area about the 13 nutrients that help crops. In the beginning, they used direct mail, magazines and more traditional channels to market their product.

Livesay-Fitch said they now get the word out through social media. She felt the interaction on the Facebook page lets people get a better feel who they are and makes it easier to connect. To help with that connection, they produce two live videos per week and share ideas online.

“We get to share awesome stories of people from Washington State to New York state,” said Livesay-Fitch. “It’s pretty cool to see what farmers as a group do.”

SM-ST1672590

JOHN GAINES Tribune News Service

Karen Livesay-Fitch and her husband Nick (front row), and Rod and Sheila Livesay are shown on their family farm, where they operate a Facebook page, A Better Way to Farm, that’s attracting a growing number of followers.

TODAY’S FARM | Sauk Valley Media

Coming face to Facebook with other farmers

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FACEBOOK

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Every Tuesday is Tractor Tuesday on the site, and it has drawn a lot of interest and post from viewers.

“People post photos and tell stories, like the last time grandpa harvested, or the first time a son rode a tractor,” said Livesay-Fitch. “We are big into families.”

One fun project they do each year leading up to Christmas is the 12, or in this case 13, micro-nutrients of Christmas. Her father talks about the products while decked out in a different Christmas sweater for each video.

The creative use of their site got them recognition by the powers at Facebook. They were selected by the company to apply to the Facebook Communities Summit in February.

“I thought no way an Iowa girl in a town with no stop lights would be selected,” said Livesay-Fitch.

She went through two separate interviews, during which she focused on the positive and tried to express how this was her passion.

Her honest approach passed the test and she was awarded an all-expense paid trip for two to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California. She attended the event with

her husband, Nik Fitch.

The 3-day conference included a community of 200 page operators from across the country, including non-profits and small businesses.

They were greeted by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, who spoke about their mission and their future ideas for Facebook.

“They painted an awesome vision of small businesses and its importance and how to help small local businesses,” Livesay-Fitch said. “It was eye opening that they care so much about little people in Iowa.”

She said they talked about how people look for things online the same as they do offline and how to engage people who are part of your tribe. They said proximity doesn’t always mean closeness and how people thousands of miles away can connect.

The trip to the big city was also a reminder of how nice it was to be back in her hometown.

The rural life is refreshing, but does make for challenges on the global marketplace. While the family farm is located at her parents’ home, she must do her part at her home, where she has fiber optics.

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Karen Livesay-Fitch took over operations of the A Better Way to Farm Facebook page shortly after her parents, Bob and Sheila Livesay, created it in 2012.

Since then, the page grew from 1,200 likes to more than 80,000.

Submitted