34. Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma in the Agriculture World, with Lowell Neitzel and Dr. Heather Sedges

Farmers work in a business where the finances keep getting tighter and the stakes keep getting higher. That kind of pressure takes a toll. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the agriculture industry is nearly 10 points above the national average, and about one in four farmers struggles with mental health issues. But mental health doesn’t typically get talked about a lot in the ag community. So in this episode, we meet Lowell Neitzel, a grower from Kansas who’s trying to change that by sharing his personal story about mental health. Lowell also leads the NCGA Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team, which has targeted grower mental health as a priority. Lowell is joined by Dr. Heather Sedges, an associate professor from the University of Tennessee who’s working to prioritize mental health resources for growers. Dr. Sedges serves as Principal Investigator and Lead of the USDA/NIFA-funded Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network in the Southern Region.  Together, they discuss how to change the conversation about mental health in rural America, what to do when a friend or loved one is in a mental health crisis, and how to create a one-stop shop for mental health resources that growers can use to protect their own well-being. Click here to watch Lowell's story on YouTube. And here is the list of resources that Dr. Sedges references in this episode: Farmer Resource Network North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program National Farmers Union Farm Crisis Center Minnesota Department of Agriculture Training Kit Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network Managing Farm Stress (Michigan State Univ. Extension) AgrAbility Mental Health Resources Univ. of Maryland Extension Farmer Stress Webinar Dr. Val Farmer articles archive Office of Rural Mental Health Research (Federal Government website) Rural Behavioral Health Initiative National Rural Health Association Suicide Prevention Resource Center And here is a link to the Productivity Protocol that Dr. Sedges mentions.