Since the pandemic, farmer mental health has been brought to the forefront. This came with the realization that the stressors that come with farming have a very real impact. Dorothy Harms, a chairperson, founder, and president of the Farmer Angel network of South-Central Wisconsin, felt something more needed to be done.
“We are a collaboration of concerned citizens, farmers, local public agencies, and churches that are all working together to help shed a spotlight on rural mental health,” Explains Harms.
Dorothy Harms says that the Farmer Angel Network was originally started because one of her good friends passed away by suicide in 2018. The community felt something had to be done to spread awareness. An event was put together by a local church where they provided food and had speakers come talk on the topic of mental health. At this event they saw people from all over the state attend who had been affected by mental illness or suicide. Seeing these people gather from across the state led them to decide this type of help needs to continue. This became the start of the Farmer Angel Network.
“The name Farmer Angel Network was coined to put a more positive spin on the work that we do,” explains Harms. “We want to be able to celebrate and uplift the farmers in our community as well as be able to provide information and resource materials to farm families.”
Sister Chapter
Since their start 6 years ago the Farmer Angel Network has added a sister chapter in western Wisconsin. This was headed by Jennifer Webster. She explained that the start of their chapter came after her father, a dairy farmer, passed away by suicide in 2023. Following this the family was looking for a program to donate to that focused on farmer mental health. Then with the help of UW-Extension, they found the Farmer Angel Network. After looking further into it, Webster decided that the group was something they could use in their community. This led her to create the sister chapter.
How To Help
“Some of the things to look out for are a lack of interest in doing things, will to live, comments on things being easier if they weren’t there,” explains Webster. “As well as, if they are not going to events important to them, too much or too little sleep, or if you notice their farm is not being kept up to where it usually is.”
She says that if you suspect someone is going through mental health issues, you should make sure that you are checking in on them. One way to see if they are really ok is to make an unannounced visit so they don’t have time to prepare. This will give you a sense of how they truly are.
The Farmer Angel Network wants to remind people that it is ok not to be ok. They also want you to know that it is hard to take care of your farm if you are having a hard time taking care of yourself. It is ok to open up to someone you trust and seek help. If you feel that you are falling into depression you can contact the Farmer Angel Network, and they will guide you to resources to help.
If you suspect someone is going through depression but you are not sure what to do, you can contact the Farmer Angel Network. You can reach them on their website at farmerangelnetwork.com or by using their Facebook page. You may also use those pages if you would like to help the Farmer Angel Network. If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.