Raising farmer mental health awareness

Mar 04, 2020

Kentucky is dedicating one day as Farmer Suicide Prevention Day

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A U.S. state is doing its part to continue to raise awareness about mental health and farmer suicides.

Kentucky is on the verge of passing House Bill 59, which designates “the Wednesday of National Farm Safety Week, which is the third week of September, as ‘Farmer Suicide Prevention Day.’”

Once enacted, the governor would annually proclaim the day as such and encourage citizens to recognize the mental health challenges in the ag industry and to support farmers and ag families.

Ag groups support the bill.

“As much as our farm families love what they do, there is a tremendous amount of stress that can come along with any farming operation, big or small; in good economic times or financial downturns,” Mark Haney, president of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, said in a March 4 statement. “It is no secret that the farm economy has been slow at best, and farmers are feeling the pressure of this economic environment to the point that stress on the farm and in rural communities has become more widespread.”

The path to House Bill 59 started with Sydney Pepper, a LaRue County high school senior and Future Farmers of America member who penned an essay about farmer suicide and brought the idea of Farmer Suicide Prevention Day forward.

Her piece “Letter to Dad” speaks to her father about the challenges of farming.

Her father is still with her, but for others that may not be the case, she said.

“I’ve never experienced it, but my family is a farming family and I’ve seen the tough times that we’ve gone through,” she told a State House Committee in February, WHAS11 reported. “I know that other people are out there hurting just like we were but they may handle it differently than we handled it and I want to bring emotion and bring attention to the fact that this is a serious issue going on right now in the agriculture community.”

Farms.com has reached out to Kentucky farmers for comment.

Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm