Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience: 4-H participants, leaders, and youth workers Agricultural advisors (Extension, Farm Business Management, Farm Advocates, Mediators, etc.) FFA chapter members and chapter leaders General public Historically underserved farmers - especially BIPOC farmers of color Indigenous food producers Mainstream farmers and ranchers Farmers and farm families who are on the continuum of farm succession/transition Professional mental health counselors who serve farmers and ranchers Rural clergy and other faith leaders Social service providers Changes/Problems:Our project was ambitious in size and scope, and NIFA's willingness to extend the performance end date was critical to accomplishing our goals. We encountered a couple of major challenges along the way. For example, one of the MDA's objectives was to expand its Farm Advocate program to include an advocate who would focus on the needs of historically under-served and emerging farmers. This program has existed since 1984 and helps farmers navigate solutions to difficult and complex financial or disaster-related problems. Advocates work on contract with the MDA and are "in the farmer's corner" (at no charge to the farmer. They can help with lending/lender negotiation, mediation, farm programs, crisis counseling, disaster programs, legal and/or social services. Their typical clientele has been mainstream rural farmers, and we recognized an opportunity to provide similar support to historically underserved producers. We developed and issued an RFP solicitation and collateral materials required by the State. When we received no competitive proposals, we consulted with stakeholders, pivoted, and accomplished our goal with a different mechanism: we used the funds for a grant to the LEDC, which developed a program of workshops and one-on-one help to improve historically underserved farmers' financial literacy and their access to capital. The MDH also encountered a significant barrier to its workplan. Staff had planned to conduct 10 Retrospective Fatality Analysis interviews (psychological autopsies) on farmers who had died by suicide. The MDH planned to use the information to develop prevention, intervention, and postvention inreach and outreach efforts, as well as to support families and provide community support. Even with MDA's help reaching out to agricultural leaders and communities, they could not find farm suicide loss surviviors who were willing to participate. Instead, the MDH pivoted to increase rural suicide awareness and intervention by delivering Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) and other supportive education in rural areas. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Farmers' and ranchers' legal, business, financial or credit problems often contribute to occupational stress or behavioral or mental health issues. Unfortunately, most Minnesota farmers do not have access to adequate legal representation, especially involving debt disputes, borrowers' rights, and other matters related to farm credit and lending law. In collaboration with the Agricultural and Rural Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, FLAG developed and delivered a series of four free live, interactive Continuing Legal Education webinars (and free CLE credits for attorneys), along with archived on-demand videos of those webinars. The webinars reached 155 people. Topics were: Overview of Minnesota agriculture lending law; Unsecured credits and operating loans; Real estate, leases and mediation; Farm Service Agency lending programs and rules. FLAG also produced the fourth edition of the Farmers' Guide to Minnesota Lending Law with partial support from its subaward. The MDH held an in-person Suicide Prevention Conference for Rural Faith Leaders in two locations. Nearly 150 clergy, chaplains, and other faith-connected individuals representing at least 11 denominations attended. The agenda included presentations by suicide loss survivors, a presentation about responding to and supporting suicide grief, a panel discussion about the historical context of suicide within religion and religious views of suicide, funeral planning and working with the bereaved, and community resources. Participants said the event was a good use of their time, improved their understanding of their role in suicide prevention, provided high quality resources, and will help them support people affected by suicide. South Dakota's FRSAN-SDA program leader attended the southern MN session and subsequently developed a similar conference in South Dakota. In addition, the MDH coordinated a Train the Trainer (T4T) workshop resulting in 10 new facilitators certified to safeTALK, an evidence-based suicide alertness and prevention program. The workshop included customized training and materials to incorporate both "agricultural" and "faith" wraparound units that put the training into more context for these unique communities. Through our work with partners and communities across the state, we continue to find that farm transfer/succession is one of the most stressful events in the lives of farmers and farm families. Subwardee Minnesota State collaborated with staff from UMN Extension to deliver two professional development workshops about how to support and guide families during the farm transfer/succession process. The workshops targeted technical assistance providers including Farm Business Management instructors, Extension educators, Farm Advocates, and Agricultural Mediators. A beginners session drew 22 participants, while an advanced session enrolled 60. SACE also co-coordinated a transfer/succession workshop for farm families,which reached 65 participants (partially supported by BDB project). U of M Extension trained a total of 38 facilitators to deliver its Ambiguous Loss: A Changing Way of Life program, which helps farm families explore losses that lack closure. These local facilitators, who are not necessarily mental health professionals, can reduce stigma and expand access to well-being through immediate support and by referring farmers and farm family members to services as needed. The MDA held two professional development retreats for 5-6 mental health counselors whose therapy practices focus on serving farmers and other agriculture-connected people. Participants helped plan the retreat and, with help from a professional facilitator, served as discussion leaders. They reported there was great value in spending the day together discussing challenges and approaches with peers. The retreats were not anticipated when we created our work plan; the first was supported with FRSAN-SDA and, because it was so well received by participants, the State supported a second. Participants are coordinating regular Zoom calls for themselves so they can stay connected. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The MDA's project director incorporated information about its FRSAN-SDA project and its activities into presentations for audiences including: Health Partners Health System social workers, Kansas Ag Growth Summit, K-State Masters of Ag Business Webinar, MN Community Adult Mental Health Initiative, MN Rural Health Association Conference, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-MN Suicide Awareness Conference, St Thomas University Rural Ministry Program for Seminarians (x2), State Advisory Council on Mental Health, University of MN Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium (x2), Veterans Administration Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinators. Members of the U of M Extension project team shared information about the curricula and programs they developed at the National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference, National Association of County Agricultural Agents Proceedings, and North American Agricultural Safety Summit. Other participating partners shared information within their own communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) partnered with 12 agencies and organizations to reach the goals of this project. Together we accomplished the following: 1. Expand availability & awareness about direct stress-related support services. The MN Farm & Rural Helpline responded 24/7 to 842 calls or texts from farmers in stress or people concerned about them. Some needed a trained listener in the moment; crisis line staff connected others with one of MN's two agricultural mental health providers, who provide no-costt counseling (funded by the State). The Southern Agricultural Center of Excellence (SACE) provided 1:1 farm transition coaching to 143 people from 35 families on the continuum of transferring their farm to new ownership. Transition is one of the biggest stressors that farmers and their family members face. There is so much demand for coaching that SACE continues to offer it, supported by MDA funds. The MDA conducted outreach to increase awareness of farm stress resources at events for farmers, agricultural educators, agriculture mediators, social workers, rural health and mental health professionals, and the general public. We fulfilled orders for an estimated 50,000 items like brochures and wallet cards and distributed thousands more at meetings and conferences. 2. Provide opportunities for historically underserved farmers, Indigenous food producers, and youth to enhance their capacity to cope with stress. Latino farmers experience stress when they lack clarity about their own farm finances. The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) created a bi-lingual financial literacy program with workshops for 112 growers and 425 hours of 1:1 financial consulting for 47 growers. They reported that understanding their debt and cash flow reduced their stress levels. LEDC also held a mental health retreat for five Latino farm families. "We knew it would be hard to convince farmers to 'go to therapy,' so we created a long weekend retreat for them and their families," explained LEDC's Aaron Blyth. In addition to group sessions, farmers spent an hour with each of two Latina therapists. All said they were interested in having more therapy sessions. The American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) held networking meetings and a business planning workshop for 47 Indigenous food producers. Two field trips took Indigenous youth foraging for edible plants and to meet Indigenous chef and restaurant owner Sean Sherman. The trips helped the kids see the appeal and possibilities of their own foodways. Locally, AICHO engaged community members in reclaiming and creating a growing space. Big River Farms (BRF) piloted a "Wellness Room" at its 2022 Emerging Farmers Conference, attended by 350. The room offered materials about suicide, mental health, and crisis, as well as a quiet space. It was so well received that BRF continued to offer the Wellness Room at conferences past the end of its subaward. The Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI) held three relationship retreats so 30 farm couples could get away, connect with peers, and explore the intersection of family relationships and farm management. Participants learned to recognize signs of farm and family stress and knowledge about resources and support. MDI director Emily Mollenhauer said, "Couples mentioned how great it was to learn that they are not alone...that it was nice to know there are other people in the same boat." University of MN (UMN) Extension expanded programming about stress-related support and mental wellbeing through 4-H and farm safety presentations and workshops reaching more than 500 youth and adults. They developed a "Calm Box" full of tools to help 4-H grades 3-6 cope with feelings of stress and anxiety, a 1-hour lesson plan about stress management for grades 6-12, and a compilation of exercises and activities designed to help youth understand and manage stress. 3. Create outreach and messaging that reduce stigma about mental health MDA created printed materials, presentations, and programs promoting normalizing the idea that stress is common in agriculture and there are effective ways to cope with it. We improved accessibility by translating our farm stress brochure into Hmong, Somali, and Spanish. Digital advertising on Facebook promoted episodes of TransFARMation and farm stress support programs and resources, recording a total of more than 1.9 million impressions. The Red River Farm Radio Network (RRFN) developed and aired nine 60-second episodes of a TransFARMation program about farmers navigating adversity and challenges. The stories aired multiple times during farm broadcasts on 58 radio stations. RRFN also published nine corresponding TransFARMation podcasts. The podcasts are available at both networks' web sites, and on commercial podcast services. The MN-FFA Foundation (MN-FFA) developed a mini grant program to reduce stigma about mental health. Almost 30 FFA chapters used awards of up to $2,000 to organize mental health/wellness events in schools or local communities. These included speakers, films, student-led programs and activities, posters, murals, and an overnight camp. The FFA in Illinois replicated this model as a direct result of communication between the FRSAN-SDA project directors in MN and IL. AICHO held two events that featured films about Indigenous food systems and the importance of Indigenous food producers. AICHO Director LeAnn Littlewolf said, "These opportunities to make internal connections helped the collective community heal from generational traumatic losses associated with Indigenous food system, treaty rights, and destruction of self-determination." Leech Lake Tribal College held three small multi-generational retreats for women in northern Anishinaabe communities. Traditional foraging, cooking, and craft activities served as a basis for personal and spiritual connection. At each retreat's closing ceremony, project director Esther Humphrey said the women, "...felt almost a sense of relief - that tension, sadness, and stress were left behind. They didn't have to take it with them and carry it." 4. Collect information about farm suicide to shape prevention & postvention efforts Data from Suicide Prevention Conferences for Rural Faith Leaders (described later) evaluations directly shaped a new project. Attendees said they wanted to learn prevention, intervention, and postvention skills. The MDH) and MDA subsequently piloted an online "Suicide Prevention for Rural Ministry" course with State funds, followed by three-state, four-cohort version of the course funded by USDA-SARE. 5. Address the emotional/physical wellness continuum in underserved farming populations BRF produced newsletter articles about health topics and held a heat exhaustion workshop for 16 BIPOC farmers, reporting that many were surprised at the toll heat can take on their physical and mental functioning. BRF also included a holistic health-oriented "On-Farm Wellness" workshop at the 2022 Emerging Farmers conference, UMN Extension reached 55 youth with a new curriculum that teaches how physical, mental, and emotional health all impact the ability to make sound decisions, think clearly, and act safety on the farm. It specifically explores how stress can increase safety risks (think of an angry teen racing off on an ATV) and introduces stress management techniques that can reduce these risks. 6. Identify additional needs/opportunities Most partners see a need to expand on work catalyzed by this project. MN-FFA is seeking funds to continue mini grants. LLTC wants to develop more opportunities for women/girls and recognizes the need to focus on men/ sons, too. The MDA and SACE see a need for more farm transition coaches, and Farmers Legal Action Group wants to expand agricultural law training for rural attorneys to other states, or even nationwide. Similarly, we need more rural mental health providers who understand farming and agriculture.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The MDA and its subawardees reached the following target audiences during this reporting period: Agricultural advisors (Extension, Farm Business Management, Farm Advocates, Mediators, etc.) Clergy FFA chapters and chapter leaders General public Historically underserved farmers - especially BIPOC farmers of color Indigenous food producers Mainstream farmers and ranchers Farmers and farm families who are on the continuum of farm succession/transition Professional mental health counselors who serve farmers and ranchers Social service providers 4-H participants, leaders, and youth workers Changes/Problems:The LLTC Project Director was a little disppointed that the turnout for their Planting the Seeds for our Seventh Generation retreats was not greater. After completing the events, Leech Lake Tribal College heard from community members who said they hadn't known the events were being offered and asked if there would be more. In the future, they will try advertising on community radio and will secure publicity help from a new media staffer in the college. The LEDC had difficulty finding therapists who had the language, cultural, and professional skills to facilitate their Latino Farmer Retreat, which contributed to delays in the project. Ultimately, they found two: a psychotherapist who works within a school district but has experience with farm workers, and the second an occupational therapist who specializes in how stress accumulates in the body. LEDC said it was also difficult recruiting farmers to attend a "mental health" retreat. They re-visioned the retreat as a family-inclusive event at a comfortable hotel with a water park, making it more attractive. Farmers Legal Action Group has been responding to a number of urgent requests from USDA and has not had time to organize the agricultural law professional development webinars for rural attorneys. The no cost extension that NIFA granted for this project allowed us to amend their project end date to July 31, 2024. Several projects have finished their work under budget. The MDA plans to use the remaining funds to enhance outreach and additional activities that align with program goals. For example, one possibility is commissioning several more episodes of the TransFARMation continuing suicide prevention education for rural clergy. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The MDH held an in-person Suicide Prevention Conference for Rural Faith Leaders in two locations. Nearly 150 clergy, chaplains, and other faith-connected individuals attended representing denominations including Baptist, Catholic, Converge, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Free Methodist, United Methodist, Non- or inter-denominational, Unitarian Universalist, and United Church of Christ. The agenda included presentations by suicide loss survivors, a presentation about responding to and supporting suicide grief, a panel discussion about the historical context of suicide within religion and religious views of suicide, funeral planning and working with the bereaved, and community resources. Participants said the event was a good use of their time, improved their understanding of their role in suicide prevention, provided high quality resources, and will help them support people affected by suicide. Their biggest takeaways were: Resources - learning what exists/what to look for in their own communities (53%) Clarity about their role in suicide prevention and the importance of community connections (19%) Importance of suicide prevention/intervention training (13%) South Dakota's FRSAN-SDA program leader attended the Mankato session and subsequently developed a similar conference in South Dakota (the agenda looked fantastic!) Subawardee University of Minnesota Extension trained 11 more facilitators this year to deliver its Ambiguous Loss: A Changing Way of Life program, for a total of 38. These local facilitators, who are not necessarily mental health professionals, can reduce stigma and expand access to well-being through immediate support and by referring farmers and farm family members to services as needed. After the positive response to last year's professional development retreat for mental health counselors whose therapy practices focus on serving farmers and other agriculture-connected people, the MDA offered a similar event this year (although supported by state funds rather than FRSAN-SDA funding). Three of last year's participants returned, one wanted to but wasn't available, and two were new to the group. Participants were involved in planning the retreat and, with help from a professional facilitator, served as discussion leaders. They again reported that they found great value in spending the day together discussing challenges and approaches with peers and are coordinating periodic Zoom meetings for themselves so they can stay connected. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Bend, Don't Break project is participatory by design -- the goals and activities that comprise our work plans are designed to involve and engage target audiences. However, we have also been sharing our efforts and experiences with diverse audiences. The MDA's BDB project director shared information about this multi-stakeholder effort at invited presentations and during webinars such as Farm Stress and Suicide: Faith, Place, and Community Health, put on by the USDA Office of External & Intergovernmental Affairs, as opportunities arose. Several inquiries about our suicide prevention education efforts for clergy and the Minnesota FFA Foundation's mini grant followed this informal outreach. Members of the U of M Extension project team also shared information about their curricula and program delivery at the National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference, National Association of County Agricultural Agents Proceedings, and North American Agricultural Safety Summit. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?While eight of our 12 project subawardees have finished their projects, the MDA and four subawardees still have objectives to accomplish before the project ends next August. (Parentheses indicate the responsible organization, whether MDA or one of the subawardees) Offer approximately five professional development webinars for rural Minnesota attorneys based on the new Farmers' Guide to Minnesota Lending Law. Many rural law practices do not currently serve farmer clients; these educational programs will give more rural attorneys the legal knowledge, tools, and resources to begin representing farmers, especially in financial disputes with lenders. Target audiences include members of the following Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) sections: Agricultural and Rural Law, Greater Minnesota Practice, Family Law, Criminal Law, and other applicable sections. FLAG is working with MSBA to publicize and to obtain free Continuing Legal Education credits for attorneys who participate. (FLAG). Identify farm families willing to participate in a process called Retrospective Fatality Analysis (psychological autopsies) to better understand the life of their loved ones leading up to death and contribute information that will result in more effective suicide prevention efforts for this community. (MDH and MDA) Fund three to five more FFA chapter mental health stigma reduction projects (Minnesota FFA Foundation) Implement work plan for teaching financial literacy to 10 emerging farmers through small groups and 1:1 interaction to help farmers with bookkeeping systems and applying for loans and/or grants that are fit their needs.(LEDC) Continue farm stress outreach and promotion via events, advertising, earned media, and relationship-building (MDA)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Expand the availability of and awareness about direct stress-related support services. Between 9/1/22 and 8/30/23 the Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline responded 24/7 to more than 200 phone calls or texts from farmers in stress or people concerned about them. The Southern Minnesota Center of Agricultural Excellence provided 1:1 coaching, support, and resources to families on the continuum of transferring their farm to new ownership, either inside or outside the family. They interacted with 143 people affiliated with 35 different families. The MDA updated and redesigned the Coping with Farm & Rural Stress in Minnesota brochure and chip clips/can koozies that promote the Helpline (the promotional items were purchased with State, not Federal, funds). We ensured that two agricultural mental health specialists who work with farmers can access state-funded translation services if non-English speaking farmers contact them. We also had the Coping brochure translated into Hmong, Somali, and Spanish; these are available in print and online. All MDA farm stress outreach materials are now available through an online order form. Since 9/1/22, we have filled 74 orders from farm and commodity groups, public health agencies, mental health agencies, VA programs, Extension educators, Federal and State agencies, and others. The total number of items shipped is 28,563. The MDA conducted outreach about farm stress, resources, and services at events including MN State Fair, MN FarmFest, MN Farmers Union Annual Meeting, MN Rural Health Association Conference, MN Organic Conference, and U of M Extension Women's Ag Conference. Project subawardees also conducted outreach through all of the events and activities described below. 2. Provide opportunities for traditional and underserved farmers, ranchers, indigenous agriculturalists, and youth to enhance their own capacity to cope with stress. With input from a committee of 8-10 emerging farmers, BRF piloted a "Wellness Room" its 17th annual Emerging Farmers Conference in 2022. This event attracts more than 350 participants who speak eight languages. The Wellness Room offered materials about suicide, mental health, and crisis, as well as a quiet space participants could retreat to. The MDI held the last of its three relationship retreats for farm couples during this reporting period, offering farm couples a chance to get away from the farm, connect with peers, and explore the intersection of family relationships and farm management. "Couples mentioned how great it was to learn that they are not alone in their struggles, and that it was nice to know there are other people in the same boat." said project director Emily Mollenhauer. The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) organized a weekend mental health retreat for five Latino farm families (21 people). Spouses and kids both attended; the hotel had a water park, which helped make the retreat a family occasion. In addition to large group sessions, farmers spent an hour with each of the two therapists who facilitated the retreat and all of them said they were interested in having more therapy sessions. Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) held three small multi-generational retreats for women (geared toward mothers and daughters) in Northern Minnesota Anishinaabe communities. The retreats incorporated traditional foraging, cooking, and craft activities as a basis for personal and spiritual connection. Agendas were flexible in response to the weather, retreat location, interests, and backgrounds of the attendees. "At each retreat we did a closing ceremony, and everybody really felt good when they left," said project director Esther Humphrey. "They felt almost a sense of relief - that tension, sadness, and stress were left behind. That they didn't have to take it with them and carry it." The Minnesota FFA Foundation joined our group of subawardees as a result of supplementary award funding provided by NIFA. In consultation with chapter leaders and the MDA, staff developed a mini grant program to increase awareness about and reduce stigma about mental health challenges. To date, 17 chapters have developed creative projects and activities that raise awareness and and/or distribute supportive resources. 3. Create outreach and messaging that reduces stigma about stress and mental health challenges. The Minnesota FFA mini grants described above created and deployed stigma-reducing messaging about mental health that reached thousands of students across 17 schools. The MDA used digital advertising on Facebook to normalize the idea that stress is common in agriculture and there are effective ways to cope with it. We continued to promote episodes of TransFARMation, as well as the Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline, and Minnesota Farm Advocate Program, reaching a total of 1,166,398 impressions. U of M Extension expanded the availability of stress-related support services and built awareness of mental wellbeing in over 73% of Minnesota counties through presentations and workshops for youth and adults, putting tools and resources in the hands of volunteers, youth leaders, Extension office and 4-H program staff. 4. Collect information about farm suicide that will shape effective prevention and post-vention efforts. Little progress during this reporting period. 5. Explore and respond to stress and improve the psycho-emotional/physical wellness continuum in underserved farming populations. Big River Farms (BRF) held a heat exhaustion training, reaching 16 attendees with interpretation in Hmong and Spanish. Many farmers who came were shocked and surprised at the toll heat can take. BRF also included a holistic health-oriented "On-Farm Wellness" workshop in the 2022 Emerging Farmers conference, taught by a certified massage therapist and medical providers. U of M Extension's developed a new module called "Healthy Habits for Farm Safety," for its Youth Tractor and Farm Safety Training. The module explores how stress can increase the risk for mistakes and accidents and taught 55 youth about wellness and the ways they can attend to physical, emotional, and mental health. 6. Identify additional needs and opportunities for impactful programs and services. The MDA and its subawardees are already creating new programs based on Bend, Don't Break Initiative efforts funded by FRSAN-SDA program and planning others for the future. For example: While LLTC program leader Esther Humphrey wants to continue to develop opportunities for women and girls, she recognizes the need to develop new opportunities focused on men and sons. BRF will continue providing education about physical and mental wellness. Project director KaZoua Berry said " We are going to do more wellness classes at BRF and also continue our wellness room at the conference. It's really because of this funding opportunity that we were able to explore [ideas like these], and farmers were so grateful and appreciative of it." Feedback from the Suicide Prevention for Rural Faith Leaders Conference prompted MDA and MDH to collaborate again and offer two 4-week online courses focused on suicide prevention skills (these were supported with State funds). In addition, we secured funding to expand this online training effort to include clergy and faith leaders neighboring states in 2024. The MDA is continuing support for individual farm succession/transition coaching services for farm families. MDI Director Emily Mollenhauer reported that her team is exploring the idea of creating a "2.0" retreat program for graduates of the first retreats.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Krekelberg, E., McGuire, J.K. 2023. Place-Based Supports for farm families recovering from stress and crisis: An ambiguous loss programmatic approach. Breakout session. National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference Proceedings.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Krekelberg, E., McGuire, J.K. 2022. Support for mental health as a production tool in farming: An ambiguous loss perspective. Agricultural Issues Seminar. Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Proceedings.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Krekelberg, E., McGuire, J.K. 2022. 2022 North American Agricultural Safety Summit: A New Day for Safety - Conference Abstracts, Abstract JA:2022-18: Support for mental health as a production tool in farming: An ambiguous loss perspective. Journal of Agromedicine, online. https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1080/1059924X.2022.2112419
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Krekelberg, E., McGuire, J.K. 2022. Support for mental health as a production tool in farming: An ambiguous loss perspective. Poster presentation. North American Agricultural Safety Summit Proceedings.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Moynihan, M.M. and Monica Mc Conkey. 2023. Cultivating Insight and Overcoming Barriers in Rural Mental Health. Plenary. Minnesota Rural Mental Health Conference.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The MDA and its subawardees reached the following target audiences during this reporting period: Agricultural advisors (Extension, Farm Business Management, Farm Advocates, Mediators, etc.) General public Historically underserved farmers - especially BIPOC farmers of color Indigenous food producers Mainstream farmers and ranchers Professional mental health counselors who serve farmers and ranchers Urban farmers Youth and youth advisors (4-H participants, leaders, and youth workers) Changes/Problems:The MDA and all of the BDB subawardees experienced delays connected to the COVID pandemic and and were grateful to obtain a 12 month no-cost exension. Some of us experienced other delays and problems as well: Subawardee Leech Lake Tribal College had to redesign its initial project, which would have focuseed on indiginous women and ricing, due to severe drought in 2020. The revised project was equally exciting -- focused on teaching Anishinaabe perspectives and methods of traditional food gathering, preparing and preserving, agricultural methods, arts, and other sustainable life skills to multigenerational family groups of women. It will be included in our next report. Subawardee Lation Economic Development Center found it challenging to identify Hispanic/Latinx mental health professionals who had the cultural capacities an interest in desinging and facilitating a retreat for Latino farmers. The MDA failed in its initial attempt to find with a new Farm Advocate who would work with historically underserved farmers. Ten individuals asked for the Request for Proposals but none applied. We followed up with them and learned that the terms of the existing Farm Advocate contract (we have nine indivduals currently serving as Farm Advocates) did not appeal to potential responders. We used what we learned to enchance the deliverables and restructure the opporutunity as a grant. Subawardee Minnesota Dairy Initiative had to cancel a planned farm couples retreat twice: once due to under-enrollment and then due to a winter storm. They are rescheduling the retreat for early 2023. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The MDA coordinated a daylong professionally facilitated retreat for four mental health counselors whose therapy practices focus on serving farmers and other agriculture-connected people and one individual who works on agricultural outreach in conjunction with a community health center. Participants shared their insights and experiences working with clients challenged by chronic stress, anxiety and depression, stigma reduction, marriage and relationship problems, as well as farm stress and youth, suicide response and bereavement, and compassion fatigue. Three out of five of the retreat participants responded to a follow-up evaluation and agreed it had afforded them "a great deal" of opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences, to learn new ideas or approaches, and that they left feeling "a great deal" supported in their work with farmers and feeling energized about and supported in their work. In fact, they were so energized by the end of the day that before they left the retreat, they had committed to continuing to meeting periodically via Zoom and had requested another in-person retreat for next year. Subawardee University of Minnesota Extension developed a curriculum to train agricultural advisors how to facilitate a workshop called Ambiguous Loss for Farm Families about loss and change. They subsequentlyheld six training sessions (three in person, three online) resulting in 27 new facilitators. (Note: A Changing Way of Life: Ambiguous loss and farming is the guide/workbook intended for use by farm families and was developed using resources outside this initiative, but the facilitator curriculum and trainings were supported by BDB). These local facilitators, who are not necessarily mental health professionals, can reduce stigma and expand access to well-being through immediate support and by referring farmers and farm family members to services as needed. Subawardee Minnesota Department of Health held a training resulting in 10 new certified facilitoars for safeTALK, an evidence-based suicide prevention program. The course included customized training and materials to incorporate both "agricultural" and "faith" wraparound units that put the training into more context for these unique communities. Since this training, new facilitators have held two safeTALK trainings and an additional four are scheduled. Through our work with partners and communities across the state, we continue to find that farm transfer/succession is one of the most stressful events in the lives of farmers and farm families.Subwardee Minnesota State collaborated with staff from the University of Minnesota Extension to hold professional development or workshops about how to support and guide families during farm transfer/succession: A "beginners" workshop attracted 22 participants. After the workshop, participants rated overall program at 4.80 on a Likert scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).Using a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), they rated "I have a deeper understanding of the subject" at 5.47; "I have situations in which I can use what I learned" at 5.60; and "I will make changes based on this session" at 5.40. An "advanced" session enrolled 60 agricultural technical assistance providers (Farm Business Management instructors, Extension educators, Farm Advocates, Mediators, etc.) After the workshop, participants rated overall program as nearly "excellent" - 4.74 on a Likert scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Using a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), they rated "I have a deeper understanding of the subject" at 5.52; I have situations in which I can sue what I learned at 5.63; I will make changes based on this session at 5.22. In addition, the same organizations held a transfer/succession workshop for farm families, which reached 65 participants (this event was partially supported by BDB project) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?While thrust and orientation of the Bend, Don't Break project is participatory -- the goals and activities that comprise our work plans are designed to involve and engage target audiences -- we have also been conducting outreach about our activities approach(es). The MDA's BDB project director incorporated information about this multi-stakeholder FRSAN-funded Bend, Don't Break award at many invited presentations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-MN Suicide Awareness Conference, State Advisory Council on Mental Health, St Thomas University Rural Ministry Program for Seminarians, Health Partners Health System social workers, the Wright County Mental Health Advisory Committee, the Kansas Ag Growth Summit, a K-State Masters of Ag Business Webinar,and the Minnesota Community Adult Mental Health Initiative. U of M Extension Educators on the 4-H team have also been sharing their tools and experiences with wider audiences - at two state staff development conferneces and as part of the Online Professional Youth Development Academey, a nationwide conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The MDA and all of the BDB subawardees still have work left to do! In the coming year we can expect the following. (Parantheses indicate the responsible organization, whether MDA or one of the subawardees) Launch a new subawardee, the Minnesota FFA Foundation, with supplementary award provided by FRSAN-SDA. MN FFA's project will challenge and support FFA chapters all over the state to develop creative programs that enchance mental well being for youth, farmers, and/or communities. Develolp and include wellness-focused (physical and mental) and programming at the 2022 Emerging Farmers Conference (BRF) Conduct a statewide 4-H volunteer training aboutmental health and wellness. (U of M Extension) Develop a print and social mediat toolkit to raise awareness about stress-related support services and reduce stogma. 4-H and Farm Safety programs through training and programming (U of M Extension) Continue facilitator training and target (with modifications, as needed) Ambigous Loss workshops to historically underserved farmer communities (U of M Extension) Publish a new Farmers' Guide to Minnesota Lending Law that will include including chapters on Farmer-Lender Mediation, mortgages and contracts for deed, operating and equipment loans, secured creditors, repossession, the statute of frauds, unsecured credit and judgments, lease agreements, and other financial matters. (Farmers Legal Action Group) Offerapproximately five professional development webinars for rural Minnesota attorneys based on the new legal guide. The ultimate goal is to increase farmers' access to attorneys to level the playing field between unrepresented farmer borrowers and lawyer-heavy banks and lenders. Many rural law practices do not currently serve farmer clients; these educationalprograms will give more rural attorneys the legal knowledge, tools, and resources to begin representing farmers, especially in financial disputes with lenders.Target audiences include members of the following Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) sections: Agricultural and Rural Law, Greater Minnesota Practice, Family Law, Criminal Law, and other applicable sections. (Existing family law and criminal defense attorneys are typically available in rural areas and are seen as most likely to add farmer financial disputes to their practices.)FLAG is working with MSBA to publicize and to obtain free Continuing Legal Education credits for attorneys who participate. (FLAG). Subawardee Latino Economic Development Center will hold a full weekend retreat for 10 farmers, which will be facilitated by two Latina mental professionals. The agenda will include workshops and one-on-one sessions. The therapists will also provide follow-up counseling, as needed, to participants. (LEDC) Subawardee Minnesota Department of Health has been working closely with a planning committee and the MDA and will hold a Suicide Prevention Conference for Rural Faith Leaders in two locations in late September 2022. (MDH) Continue to work on finding farm families willing to participate in psychological autopsies of loved ones who have died by suicide. (MDH) Hold hold one more Farm Couples Retreat for 10 more farm couples (MDI) Contract with a consultant to provide follow-up coaching to farmers/farm families who have participated in one or more farm transfer/succession educational programs and to contribute to creation of a farm transfer/succession workbook. (MDA) Subawardee Urban Farm and Garden Alliance will be hosting the Midwest Farmers of Color conference and exploring ideas to incorporate stress reduction/mental health promotion in the conference. (UFGA) Continue farm stress outreach and promotion via events, advertising, earned media, and relationship builidng (MDA) Update the Minnesota Coping with Farm & Rural Stress brochure (MDA)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Expand the availability of and awareness about direct stress-related support services. Between September 1 2021 and July 31, 2022 the Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline responded 24/7 to 82 phone calls and texts from farmers in stress or and people concerned about them. Operators provide a listening ear and warm-transfer or guide callers to additional sources of mental health or farm business support, as appropriate. The MDA conducted outreach about coping with farm stress at events including Minnesota State Fair, Minnesota FarmFest, Minnesota Farmers Union Annual Meeting, and Be the Voice. These exhibits promoted the MN Farm and Rural Helpline, Minnesota Farm Advocates, Minnesota Ag Mental Health Counselors and other services. 2. Provide opportunities for traditional and underserved farmers, ranchers, and indigenous agriculturalists (ADD YOUTH) to enhance their own capacity to cope with stress. See also objective 5. Subawardee American Indian Community Housing Organization has been holding quarterly networking meetings for indigenous food producers in Northeast MN, offered a business planning workshop that reached 47 indigenous food producers, and has conducted two field trips - one took indigenous youth to go foraging with a cookbook author and another took youth to the Twin Cities to meet with an Indigenous chef Sean Sherman, opening their eyes to the appeal of and possibilities for foods that are familiar to them. Subawardee Big River Farms has convened a farmer advisory committee to help plan the 2022 Emerging Farmers Conference (scheduled for fall) and specifically asked them to provide feedback about how to best address stress and mental health needs for farmers at the conference. Subawdaree Midwest Dairy Initiative held two 1.5-day relationship retreats for farm couples (20 couples total). The MDI Coordinator, an agricultural mental health specialist, and two extension educators facilitated the retreat, which offered farm couples a chance to get away from the farm, meet new people with whom they had a lot in common, to explore the intersection of family relationships and farm management together with other people like themselves.Pre and post-tests documented participant growth in several areas (scale 1= poor, 5= excellent)."My ability to recognize signs of farm and family stress increased from 3.77 to 4.26. "My knowledge about resources and support available increased from 3.37 to 4.29. "My willingness to use planning tools to deal with issues" increased from 3.51 to 4.27. On their evaluations, several participants commented that it was gratifying to hear advice and stories about other couples' experiences and realize they weren't alone in their farm struggles. Subawardee University of Minnesota Extension is working on farm stress programs through its both its 4-H program and its Farm Safety program. The 4-H Team developed a "Calm Box" - an assortment of tools to help youth cope with various feelings of stress and anxiety or when they just need a quiet minute or two to calm down. Project leadstrained counselors to use the tools. Two Extension summer programs implemented the Calm Box for kids in grades 3-6 this past summer. The 4-H team also took "Healthy Living" as its summer programming theme, incorporating discussion about stress, well-being and managing stress to lead a healthier life. They reached more than 200 kids from diverse backgrounds in Swift County through school district summer programs and a farmers market. Finally, they shared new resources with adults and volunteers who work with youth:a 1-hour lesson plan about youth stress management (suitable for grades 6-12) adults and a compilation of grounding exercises and stress-related activities designed to help youth understand and manage stress. They've made both of these resources available on the U of M Extension youth development curriculum library. The Extension Farm Safety Team created a Healthy Habits for Farm Safety curriculum that explores how physical, mental, and emotional health impact people's ability to make sound decisions, think clearly and act in a safe way on the farm. It specifically explores stress can have increase safety risks on a farm (think of an angry teen racing off on an ATV) . Extension debuted this new curriculum with 27 youth as part of Extension's Tractor Safety program this summer. 3. Create outreach and messaging that reduces stigma about stress and mental health challenges. The MDA refreshed its Coping with Farm and Rural Stress traveling banner display, used by staff and partners at outreach events. They also redesigned and produced new Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline wallet cards that farmers and farm advisors can carry and share and ran digital ads for the Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline on Dairy Star and AgWeek web sites and on Facebook. With guidance from an 6-member advisory team, subawardee Red River Farm Network (RRFN) developed and aired eight :60 second episodes of TransFARMation program profiling farmers' approaches to adversity and challenges aired on the Red River Farm Network (19 stations in Northern Minnesota and North Dakota) and Linder Farm Network (26 stations in southern Minnesota) radio networks.They also published eight 10-20 minute TransFARMation podcasts (companions to the broadcast episodes), which are available at both RRFN and Linder Farm Network web sites, as well as through commercial podcast services. While we don't yet have listener estimates for the broadcasts or podcasts, we do know that digital advertising the MDA purchasedon Facebook for six episodes in the TransFARMation series reached more than 220,400 users, engaging nearly 6,500 of them to "learn more" by clicking through to the corresponding podcast. 4. Collect information about farm suicide that will shape effective prevention and post-vention efforts. No progress this reporting period. The MDH reports that while it has begun the process of identifying famers and farm connected family members who died by suicide, they have not yet reached a family member who wanted the death of their loved one reviewed or "autopsied." 5. Explore and respond to stress and improve the psycho-emotional/physical wellness continuum in underserved farming populations Subawardee Big River Farms has produced four wellness newsletters, each reaching at least 450 BIPOC and historically underserved farmers, and sent one, also available online, to 230 CSA members.In addition, they held a heat exhaustion training/session taught by two healthcare providers for (mostly BIPOC) farmers at Big River Farms as well as some neighboring farmers.They reported a good turnout and are still assembling the evaluation data from that event. Subawardee American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) has been holding quarterly networking meetings for indigenous food producers in Northeast MN, offered a business planning workshop that reached 47 indigenous food producers, andconducted two field trips. One outing took indigenous youth to go foraging with a cookbook author, prompting one 15 year old to declare that he wants to learn more about foragingfor traditional foods and medicines and become a healer "in a good way." Another trip took youth to the Twin Cities to meet with award-winning Indigenous chef and cookbook author Sean Sherman, opening their eyes to the appeal of and possibilities for foods that are familiar to them and their communities. Subawardee Urban Farm and Garden Alliance held a "Drive Through" (due to COVID protocols) Greens Celebration, boosting connections and identity among urban farmers and visibility to other urban residents. 6. Identify additional needs and opportunities for impactful programs and services. Ongoing - this will be a question that we engage our subawardees in helping answer during the coming year.
Publications
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