May 31, 2024
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Kristina Buckley
As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we know the busiest season for most farms has only just begun. Farmers, we hope that despite all that must be done come rain or shine, you are able to carve out moments in your routine to take care of your well-being.
Below are a few tangible farmer resources for immediate and longer term support with mental health and stress management:
FarmAid Crisis Support – Crisis support hotline for farmers
available Monday-Friday, 9 am – 10 pm, ET. Available in English and Español
Call 1.800.FARM.AID or 1.800.327.6243
Maine Statewide Crisis and Suicide Prevention Hotline – Crisis support available 24/7
Call 1.888.568.1112
Crisis Text Line – Crisis support via text, WhatsApp, or online chat available in English and Español 24/7
Text HOME to 741741
Maine Intentional Warm Line – Peer-to-peer phone support for non-crisis situations available in English 24/7 from anywhere in Maine
Call 1.866.771.9276 to have a conversation with a trained peer specialist who has life experience with mental health recovery
Maine Mobile Health – Mental health counseling and referral for seasonal farm workers. Services available in English, Spanish or Haitian Creole. You have to be registered with the Maine Mobile Health network.
Call 1.888.351.9634 or email mmhp@mainemobile.org
Cultivemos – a network in the Northeast working to cultivate the well-being of the agricultural community through workshops, health care resources and assistance programs. Cultivemos (formerly known as the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Northeast) is made up of approximately 160 individuals from over 90 organizations providing a range of services from mental health advocate and stress wellness to financial literacy and farmland management.
UMaine Cooperative Extension Farm Coaching – free, individualized coaching for farmers with 5+ years' farming experience to support the sustainability of your farm, including your wellbeing.
Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training – an online, self-paced course for farmers and ranchers across the country to recognize crisis symptoms, communicate during stressful times, and reduce mental health stigma.
Maine DACF resource list – find a compiled list of mental health resources here
Farmers and farmworkers impacted by PFAS can access wellness grants through the PFAS Emergency Relief Fund co-administered by MFT and MOFGA - find details in the PFAS Farmer Wellness Fund section here.
In The Young Farmers Podcast below, farmer Ari de Leña and show host Elizabeth Bragg discuss how in such a physically demanding career like farming, it can be hard to get grounded in your feelings and experiences and process them as they arise. But as they point out, farmers are humans first after all, bringing their own experiences, dreams, and struggles to the work, relying heavily on their bodies and minds to be efficient as they juggle the many hats needed to do their jobs and provide for their communities.
Looking for more stories on ways other folks in agriculture are navigating these complex issues and the supports that are available? Pop on those headphones while you’re going about your farm chores or taking a much-needed break from the fields and check out the links below.
Interested in reading more on the intersection of farming and healthcare? Check out this article that we shared earlier this week from our 2023 maine farms journal to hear from farmers, rural health researchers, and providers about the stressors farmers face and why access to healthcare can be especially challenging for the farming community.
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