RD201904

this article was copublished by the guardian

and the economic hardship reportingproject,

copyright © 2018 by debbie weingarten.

“He wanted to hear what I had to
say,” John says. “Someone needs to
care about what’s going on out here.”
Since the 1980s farm crisis, Mike
says, experts have learned much
more about how to support farmers.
Confidential crisis communication
systems—by phone or online—are ef-
fective, but staffers need to be versed
in the reality and language of agri-
culture. “If you go to a therapist who
may know about therapy but doesn’t
understand farming,” Mike explains,
“the therapist might say, ‘Take a
vacation—that’s the best thing you
can do.’ And the farmer will say, ‘But
my cows aren’t on a five-day-a-week
schedule.’”
Affordable therapy is critical—and
inexpensive to fund. Mike says many
issues can be resolved in fewer than
five sessions, which he compares to
an employee-assistance program,
something many companies offer
their workers. Medical providers need
to be trained to look for physical and
behavioral-health vulnerabilities in
agricultural populations, an effort
Mike is working on with colleagues.
John Blaske says painting helps him.
When he’s feeling up to it, he’ll paint
detailed farmscapes on heavy saw
blades. Counseling and medication
have also worked well, but he craves
conversation with farmers who know
what he’s experiencing.
“I would really give about anything
to go and talk to people,” he says. “If
any one person thinks they are the

only one in this boat, they are badly

mistaken. It’s like Noah’s ark. It’s run-

ning over.”

Inside the farmhouse, John places

two journals in my hands. They’re

filled with his memories of walking

through town barefoot as a child, how

his mother would pick sandburs out of

his feet; of the years he worked at the

grain elevator, only to come home to

farmwork, counting cows by flashlight.

The image of John on the farm, il-

luminating the darkness, is a powerful

one. “Sometimes the batteries were

low and the light was not so bright,”

he wrote, “but when you found the

cow that was missing, you also found

a newborn calf, which made the dark

of night much brighter.” And some-

times that ray of light is all you need

to see the promise of a new day.

WHERE TO FIND HELP

Many states offer mental health

resources for farmers; most will

help people in need regardless of

location. These national organiza-

tions are also good places to start:

)Farm Aid Hotline: 800-FARM-AID

(800-327-6243); farmaid.org/

our-work/resources-for-farmers

)The National Suicide Prevention

Lifeline: 800-273-8255;

suicidepreventionlifeline.org

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