{"id":27061,"date":"2023-02-14t13:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-14t13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.planetforward.com\/2023\/02\/14\/the-crisis-affecting-small-farms-and-their-farmers-mental-health-in-agricultural-circles\/"},"modified":"2023-02-22t19:19:01","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22t19:19:01","slug":"farmers-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/farmers-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"the crisis affecting small farms and their farmers: mental health in agricultural circles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

mansfield, conn. \u2014 diane dorfer pulls the plastic tarp back over the hay-covered ground that recently grew cabbages and brussels sprouts. she has just finished talking about how rabbits, thirsty from the summer\u2019s drought, had eaten away at the green vegetables as a meager source of water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

dorfer, 46, owns and runs cobblestone farm, a community-supported agriculture (csa) farm. she has invited university students to visit the farm and ask her questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as she shepherds the students back to the parking area, someone asks her how far in advance she plans for the growing season. it seems like a practical question with a straightforward answer, but she pauses, looks to the sky and sighs. \u201cthat\u2019s actually more of a mental health question than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

mental health in farming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

farming has one of the highest suicide rates of any occupation in the country, according to rebecca toms, communications coordinator for solid ground, a program created by uconn\u2019s college of agriculture, health, and natural resources extension. the program aims to provide support, training, and a community of like-minded people to new farms and farmers around connecticut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

as well as being a farmer herself, toms, 36, received her master\u2019s degree in social work. her current role at solid ground has allowed her to use both of her fields of expertise. earlier this year, she hosted a series of webinars<\/a> on farmer stress and solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

farming fosters a certain culture that may make getting mental health help harder.  \u201cwithin the farming industry there is a strong vein of self-sufficiency, which makes it hard to say \u2018i have a problem,\u2019\u201d says toms. in agriculture, there are so many other problems to address first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

finances pose the biggest challenge to small farmers, followed by legal and land issues. in connecticut especially, land is prohibitively expensive, making it difficult to get into and stay in farming. moreover, supply-chain issues and inflation in recent years have dramatically increased the cost of raw materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

many newer small farmers start their careers for emotional, physical, and spiritual satisfaction; both dorfer and toms cite these reasons. but small-scale farming is not a lucrative business. for some, the job itself is the yield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cmy financial goal was to be able to afford to do the job,\u201d says dorfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
dorfer pointing out her irrigation system and insect exclusion netting. due to the drought, she had to make decisions about which plants would get water in order to conserve resources. (zareen reza\/university of connecticut)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

climate and physical stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

physical health is another major factor to mental health. the intensive labor of farming takes a major toll on the body. farming is not just time-consuming, but all-consuming: it takes up such a large part of a person\u2019s life that it can put a major strain on their relationships. often, they have to choose between farming and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

some farmers cannot pull through and must leave the profession because they do not have the time, resources, or physical strength to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

these aspects are stressful enough by themselves, but climate change has been making the job increasingly difficult. rising temperatures, shifting season lengths, and changes in precipitation are just a few of the climate threats that loom over the farming industry. these factors make it hard to reliably predict and plan for the growing season; looking at the past year or two doesn\u2019t provide enough data, yet looking too far into the past doesn\u2019t help either due to climate change. \u201cevery year is new data,\u201d says dorfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one weather anomaly can compromise an entire season\u2019s worth of crops. a one-day spike or dip in temperature could kill off an entire batch; a false start to spring might cause crops to start growing early, only to be killed off by frost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

secondary issues arise from the more direct effects of climate change. warmer winters allow insects that would otherwise die off during the cold weather to survive, increasing the number of pests that can damage crops. during droughts, mammals eat the vegetables for their water content. farmers then have to spend more money to keep the damaged crops alive and the pests at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

toms recounts a moment over the summer where thinking about climate change gave her a panic attack. \u201cit\u2019s terrifying,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dorfer says that this past summer was particularly hot and miserable; her work felt \u201cdemoralizing\u201d and would sometimes make her think, \u201cwhy am i doing this?\u201d even so, she could not imagine doing any other job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

making resources available to farmers, toms says, is the most effective way to decrease farmers\u2019 stress. this is solid ground\u2019s biggest priority. a large part of their work consists of making things as easy as possible for farmers, as they have little time to deal with the many administrative aspects of farming. this includes facilitating access to legal help, assisting with grants and subsidies, and making farming supplies available and easy to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the movement for farmers\u2019 mental health is very new, but toms is hopeful that it will gain traction and help farmers everywhere. \u201cit\u2019s something that\u2019s just beginning, and personally, i hope i can be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

small farms are suffering in the face of climate change and a tumultuous economy; it’s no wonder that farmers feel the effects as well. but one group is offering help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11752,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4919,5034],"tags":[5112,112,144,3549],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-27061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-storyfest-2023","tag-small-farming","tag-agriculture","tag-climate-change","tag-mental-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nthe crisis affecting small farms and their farmers: mental health in agricultural circles - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/farmers-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"the crisis affecting small farms and their farmers: mental health in agricultural circles - 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