Farmers and ranchers have many stressors in their lives. Weather challenges and disasters like many Nebraskans have recently experienced have led to uncertainty in their crop and livestock operations. Machinery breakdowns, debt loads, volatile markets, sleep deprivation, changing regulations, and the stress of holding onto a multi-generational farm/ranch all play a part of the stress and mental health of a farmer or rancher. Farmers and ranchers know the importance of planning and talking about their financial health to bankers, financial planners, spouses, etc. but might not realize how important it is to spend time on their mental health.
A free webinar will be offered April 23 via the web for farm and ranch families. The webinar will take place at noon (CST) and can be accessed at go.unl.edu/farmstresswebinar. Wellness in Tough Times will be presented by my colleague, Nebraska Extension Educator Glennis McClure and myself from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (CST). This free webinar is available for farm and ranch families to participate and will provide strategies for dealing with the stress of farming or ranching in today’s difficult economic environment.
Participants will learn: How to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress; understand the role stress plays in our lives; and strategies and resources to manage stress.
For more information, contact me at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu or (402)759-3712. Dates and locations for a separate workshop available to agribusiness professionals and service providers working with farmers and ranchers will be released soon: Communicating with Farmers Under Stress. For more information on this workshop contact Susan Harris-Broomfield susan.harris@unl.edu
Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from using specific equipment on a farm unless parents or legal guardians own the farm. Certification received through a course provided by Nebraska Extension grants an exemption to the law, allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and work with certain mechanized equipment.
Nebraska Extension’s Tractor Safety & Hazardous Occupations Courses take place at 12 Nebraska locations this year for teens 14 or 15 years of age who will work on a farm. Anyone older than 15 is also welcome to attend, but those under age 14 are not eligible to take the class. Extensive training on tractor and ATV safety occurs during in-class lessons with hands-on activities. Instilling an attitude of safety and a respect for agricultural equipment are primary goals of the course.
The first day of classroom instruction includes hands-on demonstrations, concluding with a written test. Classroom instruction will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program. Students are required to pass the test before taking the driving test on day two. The second day will include a physical driving test with equipment operation and ATV safety lessons. To receive certification, students must demonstrate competence in hitching and unhitching equipment and driving a tractor and trailer through a standardized course. Instructors will offer an ATV simulator experience to learn about safe behaviors and laws for ATVs and UTVs. Students will also complete homework assignments for the second day.
All on-site classes begin at 8:00 A.M. and end times will vary, depending on the number of participants. Training site locations closest to us, Site Coordinator contact numbers, and dates of training are as follows:
Training Site LocationSite Coordinator Dates of Training Fairgrounds, Geneva (402) 759-3712 May 20 & 21
Fairgrounds, Nelson (402) 225-2092 May 22 & 23
Extension Office, Grand Island (308) 385-5088 May 28 & 29
Cost of the course is $60, which includes educational materials, instruction, supplies, and lunches. Print and complete a registration found at kearney.unl.edu, and submit with payment to the appropriate Extension office location at least one week before the course (call the specific location number listed above for mailing address and instructions).
Statistics from those impacted by a farm-related injury or death are sobering. Many know someone who was impacted by a farm accident that in many cases could have been prevented. This is why I feel so passionately about conducting the Annual Progressive Safety Day each year. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation provides safety and health information to rural communities that need it, which is why I’ve teamed up with them. The mission of Progressive Agriculture Days is simple – to provide education, training, and resources to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children and their communities.
During the program’s first year, a total of 2,800 participants and volunteers were reached throughout the South and Midwest and now the program impacts close to 110,000 annually. To date, the program has impacted more than 1.6 million children and adults.
Current 1st through 6th graders are invited to attend Progressive Agriculture Safety Day on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. Youth will participate in a variety of events designed to help them be aware of safety in potentially hazardous situations such as electricity, emergencies, disability awareness, PTO demonstration, agricultural literacy, chemical look-alikes and others. This year, each youth will walk away with their own first-aid kit. Registration and consent form is REQUIRED by all youth who participate. This can be found at fillmore.unl.edu or by stopping by the Extension Office in Geneva or Clay Center.
April 19th is early bird registrationat only $5 per child that includes a t-shirt, lunch, snack and goodie bag. After April 19th, registration increases to $10 per youth in order to participate.
This event is conducted by Nebraska Extension in Fillmore/Clay Counties, Shickley and Fillmore Central FFA chapters, 4-H, WIFE, and Fillmore County Emergency Management. For more info or to register, call 402-759-3712 or email brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.
Recently at our Farmers & Ranchers College program we had Michele Payn speak on the importance of advocating for agriculture. While it is frustrating that we need to advocate for just doing our jobs, it seems necessary to educate others about the agriculture industry. If it wasn’t for our farmers and ranchers, we would have a hungry world. Michele founded Cause Matters Corp. in 2001, which is a company designed to build connections around the food plate. Cause Matters Corp. focuses on addressing food myths, developing science communication, and connecting farm to food.
At the recent program she delivered in Fillmore County, she explained to participants the importance of connecting with consumers on a personal level rather than just spewing facts and statistics at people. When we are able to connect with others on a personal level, it allows us to share our stories with them and understand where they are coming from with their potential concerns. She has also extensively researched social media trends and encouraged participants to share their messages on social media, especially Instagram which is extremely popular with the younger generation. Engaging in dialogue is important to spread the message of agriculture.
Michele’s book, Food Truths: From Farm to Table highlights 25 food truths to shop and eat without guilt. Some of them I’ve decided to highlight include:
Hormones are in everything.
Antibiotics have benefits.
Animal welfare is an hourly concern on farms and ranches.
Housing is used to protect animals – and your food – from nature.
Organic farming is about production methods, not nutritional value.
Food costs are a shared concern.
Local is not always better for the environment.
Chemicals are naturally in food and needed to protect it.
Soil is a farm’s greatest asset.
The media isn’t the best source of information about food.
Food is an amazing science from farm to table.
I decided to share the food truths above due to the recent disasters we have in Nebraska. Those unfamiliar with the agriculture industry may not know that our farmers and ranchers care greatly for their animals and the loss of animals due to the floods and blizzards is sickening to them. Some gave up many evenings to help bring baby calves into the world only to see them taken away by powerful surges of water. Farmers and ranchers were already struggling with the low commodity prices and this will cause an additional burden making it difficult for some to survive. That being said, if you are in the agricultural industry or know about agriculture, share with others how hard our farmers and ranchers work and the good they do in feeding our hungry and growing population.
Picture this. Someone is showing physical signs of stress – maybe it’s a heart attack or even a broken leg. Who might arrive to the scene first? It probably will be an EMT or other first responder. Their role is to keep the person alive or comfortable until that person reaches the hospital where doctors and other medical professionals will treat that patient. What happens if a person is showing signs of mental distress or even suicidal signs? There are classes available called, “Mental Health First Aid” which provides people the opportunity to properly help others receive professional help he/she might need. Things as simple as listening to the person non-judgmentally and encouraging them to seek professional help might just save that person’s life. Calling the suicide hotline with the person can also help that person realize that they can get through the crisis in their life.
Farmers and ranchers have many stressors in their life. Weather challenges and disasters like many Nebraskans have recently experienced have led to uncertainty in their crop and livestock operations. Machinery breakdowns, debt loads, volatile markets, long days with sleep deprivation, government regulations, and the stress of holding onto a multi-generational farm/ranch all play a part of the stress and mental health of a farmer or rancher. Farmers and ranchers know the importance of planning and talking about their financial health to bankers, financial planners, spouses, etc. but might not realize how important it is to spend time on their mental health.
A North Dakota State University Extension publication reminds farmers that “just as farms need to be operated in a sustainable way that preserves resources for the long term, an individual’s life needs to be managed in a sustainable way for long-term well-being. Feeling overly tired, overwhelmed by stresses or under constant pressure is not a recipe for a sustainable lifestyle.” There are physical, mental, emotional/spiritual, personal/relational, work/professional and financial/practical strategies for coping with stress. For example, get at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep is one physical way to take care of yourself. Take 10 minutes and reflect on blessings in your life in as a mental strategy to dealing with stress. Emotional or spiritual coping strategies are to pray, do random acts of kindness and something as simple as eating a meal with a friend of loved one. A personal or relational coping strategy is to plan a small getaway with a family member or spend time playing games with family or friends. For a work strategy, talk to other farmers about their strategies or plan your next day at the end of a work day and set priorities ahead of time. Finally, financial/practical coping strategies are to schedule time to organize your records or finances monthly and create a family budget and live within your means.
At the Mental Health First Aid workshop, an action plan to help others with potential mental health problems is referred to as “ALGEE.” The action plan is as follows:
Nebraska Extension is pushing out information to help. Please use or share the website https://flood.unl.edu It’s a key resource full of science-based information
Knowing the legal rights, benefits and resources available to low-income survivors of a disaster is crucial to recovery. Legal Aid of Nebraska can help.Apply online at disaster.legalaidofnebraska.org/apply, or call the Disaster Relief Hotline at 1-844-268-5627.
Perspective. I spoke a little of this last week. This week, in the midst of much occurring, it was all about perspective for me. It’s hard to find words for the devastation occurring in Nebraska. Perhaps like me, you found yourself feeling a tad overwhelmed or helpless by the images of damage…cattle being dug out of snow or stranded on islands and whole communities engulfed by water… I think what made this extra hard for me is that so many of our people are hurting and affected. Tornadoes and hail damage are somewhat more isolated for allowing people to more easily respond. This has been harder to help with road and bridge infrastructure damaged in so much of the State. And, unfortunately, we will feel these effects for a long time.
Perspective for me was counting my blessings. Because I rely a great deal on my faith, considering worse things…
With the flooding and blizzard conditions affecting a large portion of the state, this week I looked up some Extension resources and decided to write some of the research ideas for dealing with stress and how to help the whole family cope. First of all, our Nebraska Extension publication, Effective Management of Stress & Crisis points out numerous tips that come from worldwide research on strong families. It involves research from more than 24,000 family members in 35 countries. While the publication identifies 18 ideas, I selected the top ten that interest me. For the remainder of the ideas, go online to the publication which can be accessed through our extension.unl.edu website and search for “Effective Management of Stress & Crisis.”
Look for something positive to focus and focus on that positive element in a difficult situation.
Keep things in perspective. “These things too, shall pass.”
Pull together rather than apart. Don’t see the problem as an individual’s problem but as a challenge for the whole family.
Focus on what is most important and minimize fragmentation. Without focusing on the essentials, the details, details, details can get you edgy, even hysterical.
Go to the flow to some degree. Sometimes you are relatively powerless in the face of crisis. At this point it can be useful to simply tell yourself to “let it go.”
Know how to laugh and know how to cry, for both are essential to maintain an emotional balance in life.
Create a life full of meaning and purpose. All people face severe crises in life. You will not be able to avoid these challenges. Rather, your aim can be to live a useful life of service to your community. This brings richness and dignity to your life, in spite of the troubles you endure.
Realize that suffering can be a catalyst for positive growth. Crisis, by definition, is a difficult time in your life. However, it also can be a turning point, planting the seeds for a satisfying and successful future. This is hard to internalize but useful to remember.
Identify spiritually with the grand procession of life: Through good times and bad, we, as individuals, come and go, but life from whence we all spring is eternal. There is something satisfying and soothing about that thought.
Get help outside the nuclear family when needed. Seek help from extended family members, supportive friends, neighbors, colleagues, members of your religious community, professionals in the community, or others. In a manner of speaking, it takes a whole village to resolve a crisis.
While it might be “easier said than done” to follow the above strategies, giving every effort to embrace a positive approach to deal with a crisis will help you and your family more effectively handle the situation at hand. Disasters, whether natural or human-made leave today’s families facing difficult times. Our ranching and farming families have especially been impacted by the recent floods and blizzards. Let’s remember to pull together as a state and help our fellow Nebraskans through this difficult time, as the recovery and rebuilding process will take a long time.
Americans need to understand the value of agriculture in their daily lives. Today and the past week in Nebraska, we have farmers and ranchers struggling with death loss of calves due to wild weather conditions of cold, flooding and even blizzard conditions. Farmers have fields underwater and even grain bins are flooding. Thanks so much to all of our farmers and ranchers for feeding and clothing us with so much risk and financial difficulty!
It is a highlight for my girls to ride in the combine at harvest time; my girls have the opportunity to experience harvest with my Dad.
Growing up on a small farm in Saline County, I appreciate the work of our farmers and ranchers. My dad still farms and my girls enjoy visiting the farm and I hope I can instill the same hard-working values and beliefs my parents instilled in my sister and I. This is part of the reason, my husband and I have starting raising a few chickens and have bucket calves for the girls to care for. With my husband as the Fillmore Central ag education instructor and myself as an extension educator for UNL, we hope to be teaching future generations the vast opportunities available in the agricultural industry. This week marks the time to celebrate agriculture so I have included some of the Agriculture Council of America’s press release in my column this week as well as some of Extension’s work in ag literacy
The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host National Agriculture Day on March 14, 2019. National Ag Day is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day 2019 is “Agriculture: Food For Life.”
On March 14, 2019, ACA will host major events in the nation’s capital including an event at the National Press Club as well as a Taste of Agriculture Celebration. Additionally, the ACA will bring approximately 100 college students to Washington to deliver the message of Ag Day. These events honor National Agriculture Day and mark a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate
National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America. ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public’s awareness of agriculture’s role in modern society. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:
Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.
You might be glad to know that Nebraska Extension has a team of extension staff working on programming to educate consumers and youth about agriculture and tell the story of the American farmer and rancher. This is being done through agricultural literacy-focused festivals and programs, development of beef-booster curriculum, quality assurance programs and many others. Through 2018, over 51,000 Nebraska youth and adults statewide made changes and/or reinforced knowledge of food safety practices from when food is produced until food reaches consumers’ plates. Their actions will influence both the safety of food consumed by them and others.
Nebraska Extension’s team finalized and utilized five questions to evaluate youth programming focused on Consumer Confidence topics. Compiled results from youth who participated in three state-wide programs (Animals Inside & Out, AgCiting Science & Ag Festivals, which Fillmore & Clay County youth participated) for over 5400 elementary youth in 2018 showed: 97% of youth stated yes “I learned something new” as a result of the program, 97% of youth stated yes “I know farmers make good choices to keep our food safe”, 95% of youth stated yes “I can make healthy decisions about my food”, 95% of youth stated yes “I better understand where my food comes from” & 86% of youth stated yes “I will share with others about agriculture”. Forty-five certifications were provided in 2018 with 2,879 Beef Cattle Producers completed Beef Quality Assurance Certification which is valid for 3 years. In 2018, 9,189 Nebraska Youth participated in the Youth for Quality Care of Animals. This program trains youth of the Quality Assurance practices for all food animal species.
Since my time in Extension, I have been fortunate to become aware of an excellent program for agricultural workers with disabilities or chronic illness. This program is known as AgrAbility and my colleague Susan Harris-Broomfield recently wrote an article about an upcoming conference hosted by Nebraska AgrAbility. The workshop, hosted by Nebraska AgrAbility, is the foremost educational event in the nation addressing disabilities in agriculture. Potential clients and their families, AgrAbility staff members and stakeholders — including U.S. Department of Agriculture and rehabilitation professionals, other nonprofit members, and suppliers of products beneficial to AgrAbility customers — are invited. The AgrAbility National Training Workshop will occur from March 25-28 at the Embassy Suites in downtown Lincoln.
The program will offer information on leveraging resources and direct service to clients; networking opportunities with other clients, service providers and agency representatives; and training. Registration is required at http://www.agrability.org/agrability-national-training-workshop. Registration closes March 21.
AgrAbility aims to enhance the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities so that they, their families and communities can continue to succeed.
Nebraska AgrAbility’s team includes Nebraska Extension educators Nancy Frecks and Susan Harris-Broomfield, University of Nebraska faculty member Aaron Yoder and Nebraska Easterseals staff members Angie Howell, Rod Peterson, Emily Freudenburg and John Davis.
Success can have multiple meanings, whether it is getting back to one’s own business, gaining employment in agricultural production or gaining the assistive technology needed to complete everyday tasks. Nebraska AgrAbility’s priorities are to develop educational programs that increase individual knowledge, advance capabilities through new technologies, encourage peer networking and provide direct services to agricultural workers in need. Nebraska AgrAbility has worked with 567 clients since 1995, serving clients in 92 of the state’s 93 counties.
Wellness in Tough Times will be presented by my colleague, Nebraska Extension Educator Glennis McClure and myself from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (CST). This free webinar is available for farm and ranch families to participate and will provide strategies for dealing with the stress of farming or ranching in today’s difficult economic environment.
Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from using specific equipment on a farm unless parents or legal guardians own the farm. Certification received through a course provided by Nebraska Extension grants an exemption to the law, allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and work with certain mechanized equipment.
Views from VanDeWalle 