The American Farm Bureau’s Farm State of Mind Campaign began in 2017 with the simple goal of letting farmers know it’s okay to reach out for help. Bailey Corwine, campaign co-leader, talks about Farm State of Mind.

“We were originally focusing on the opioid epidemic in rural America. We know that it hit our rural communities hardest, but then we realized that there was a much larger problem at play, and that’s the overall issue of mental health struggles in rural America. So since 2017, we’ve been working on just identifying the problem and letting farmers and ranchers know that it’s okay to reach out for help. It’s okay to not be okay, and then, also, put together some resources. We have the first-of-its-kind searchable national directory of mental health resources available on our website, which is farmstateofmind.org.”

She talked about the biggest misconception in rural America when it comes to mental health.

“That’s a pretty easy one for me to answer. I think the biggest misconception is that reaching out is a sign of weakness. I think, especially when you think about farmers and ranchers, they’re really tough people. They want to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and they think, ‘If I just work a little harder, or if I just spend a little longer in the tractor, then I’ll be able to fight my way out of this on my own.’ But it’s actually the exact opposite that’s true. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. And a lot of times, when you’re in these dark moments, when you’re really struggling with something, reaching out and telling others that you need help is the only way out. So, it’s the best course of action, certainly.”

Corwine said they’re learning that broaching the topic to members can require different approaches.

“That’s definitely something that we have tried to balance throughout the time that we’ve been working on this project, ever since 2017, and it’s something that we’ve learned along the way. We try to keep in close contact with our members, and find out what works for them, and if we get a reaction that’s like, ‘Hey, this isn’t really how I want to hear about this,’ or ‘This doesn’t mean anything to me or help me when I’m struggling,’ then we’re going to go a different direction. So, it’s some trial and error. But then we also work with a lot of outside organizations, medical and mental health professionals who can help us, and they’re really the experts in the field. So, we try to balance what’s useful in farm country with what’s useful to medical practitioners and mental health professionals.”

The online list of available mental health resources has grown over the years.

“We’ve also expanded that over the years to have some mental health trainings. We have ways to start the conversation if you or one of your friends or family you think is struggling. There are some tips there that can help you, testimonials from our other members, and just a lot of really great resources.

For more information, go to farmstateofmind.org.