Farm stress isn?t exactly a new topic of discussion. We are dealing with the highest farm stress we have seen since the 1980s. Even then, it wasn?t the first time farmers had some tough times. The one thing that is changing this time is the fact that farmers are getting better at opening up about it. Much effort is being put into removing the old stigmas about discussing your feelings and getting help. Mental health advocates are trying to help farmers realize that sometimes these circumstances aren?t because you have failed.
The University of Iowa College of Public Health recently released results from a survey it conducted of 540 farmers through the mail and at three farm shows: Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA, Minnesota Farmfest near Morgan, MN, and Husker Harvest Days at Grand Island, NE. This study was intended to get farmers to talk about the stresses they were facing. Some of the answers may not come as a surprise, but some of these were quite interesting.
Kanika Arora is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy in the College of Public Health. She talks about how finances were at the top of the list of concerns.
Climate and weather was the next highest concern, specifically in terms of the drought conditions we saw during the summer of 2019. The numbers followed along the lines where the strongest instances of drought were observed.
Rounding out the top stressors were workload and labor concerns, time with family, regulations and politics, and aging. Professor Arora delves into those topics a little further for us.
We are only scratching the tip of the iceberg on what this study found. The hopes of this study are to help future researchers find ways to connect with the farm operators in a way that gets them to talk about stress and be willing to accept options for stress management. The more we can get people talking, the more options we have available to help them.
We will have the full interview with Professor Kanika Arora on this weekend?s edition of Weekend Ag Matters (2-22). Tomorrow, we will continue talking about the study they also conducted on the subject of farm safety issues.
