Aug. 29, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera.

Too little rain, too much rain. Long, lonely hours. Rising expenses for fuel, feed and fertilizer coupled with uncertain income and historic inflation. Simply put, it’s stressful to be a farmer or rancher in South Dakota.

The rural lifestyle in the Upper Midwest has long had its ups and downs that date back to pioneer times. Yet the stressors have mounted recently with damaging weather events, a volatile ag environment and a worldwide pandemic.

In response, Avera in 2019 created the Farm & Rural Stress Hotline. Farmers, ranchers and people who live in rural communities can call 800-691-4336 24 hours a day.

The call is free and confidential. The hotline is staffed by trained assessment counselors who put callers in touch with local mental health resources.

Raising awareness to reduce stigma

Avera will host a Farm and Ranch Support Day on Monday, Sept. 5, at the South Dakota State Fair, thanks to support provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Members of the Avera Behavioral Health team will be on-site to disseminate information about the hotline and raise awareness for mental health resources in the hopes of reducing the stigma.

In the past, Behavioral Health staff members have traveled across the state promoting the Farm & Rural Stress Hotline at similar ag events, including Dakotafest in Mitchell, the Sioux Empire Farm Show and conferences for the South Dakota Soybean Association, South Dakota Famers Union and South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, and have provided interviews for numerous publications and media outlets pertaining to production agriculture.

“People in rural areas often have a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps mindset and are reluctant to reach out for help due to the longstanding stigma that is often associated with both acknowledging the need for and seeking help for mental illness,” said Karl Oehlke, a physician assistant with Avera Behavioral Health who’s also a third-generation farmer and an organizer and champion of the hotline at Avera.

“This sense of resiliency and independence helps them to be successful on the farm or ranch but becomes an impediment to seeking help. I have repeatedly voiced the phrase ‘you are not alone, and help is available,’ and anyone can need help, even short term, coping with life’s pressures. We want to share this message of hope for those who may be struggling.”

Ag is central to South Dakota

Close to 130,000 jobs in South Dakota are related to agriculture – 21 percent of all jobs in the state.

According to the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, agriculture, forestry and related industries contribute $32.1 billion to South Dakota’s economy, which is 29 percent of South Dakota’s total economic output. And census data shows that 43 percent of the state’s population lives in rural locations where health care resources – specifically mental health resources – can be less available and accessible.

Avera’s Farm & Rural Stress Hotline has been a significant tool in opening up a pathway to producers who often are ambivalent about seeking care and often do not know what types of care are available.

In South Dakota, 98 percent of farms are family owned, according to the USDA. “Farming and ranching is more than a job for the people who choose this vocation. It’s a lifestyle and an identity often forged over multiple generations,” Oehlke said. “They’ve invested so much time and effort into the sustainability of the farm or ranch, they often neglect their own personal care or mental health needs.”

Reaching out for help

People may call the hotline for various reasons: fear, sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, feeling overwhelmed or isolated and more.

Avera also supports the South Dakota Agricultural Behavioral Health Program, which offers free mental health vouchers for farmers, ranchers and family members. For information, please visit 605strong.com.

If you are a farmer, rancher, spouse, employee in any aspect of production agriculture or a rural resident impacted by stress, you can call the Farm & Rural Stress Hotline at 800-691-4336.