A free online course aims to help rural farmers and those in farming communities learn how to recognize the signs of stress and suicide risk, communicate effectively with stressed farmers, and help reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues. The course is timely, because suicide and mental illness are higher for farmers, especially during the pandemic.
Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training takes less than three hours to complete, but you can go at your own pace. It has slide presentations and downloadable resources, and is available through June 2021.
The course was funded by the Cooperative Extension Service, Farm Credit, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union. Course content was created by Extension experts at Michigan State University, the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, Montana State University, and South Dakota State University.
Here are some other farmer suicide prevention and mental-health resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (24 hours)
- Crisis Text Line: 741-741 (24 hours)
- Farm Aid farmer hotline: 1-800-327-6243 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern)
- National Farmers Union Farm Crisis Center
- Suicide warning signs: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
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