AgriLife Extension specialists help increase awareness and need for support
The gold medal-winning video features Grant Heinrich of Slaton, who talks about suicide and how it affected his family. (Photo courtesy of Pine Curtain Film Company)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Miquela Smith and Tiffany Lashmet have both seen the strain faced by so many in agriculture and the stress on the faces of the agricultural producers they have worked with in their respective fields. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service the roles.
Knowing the statistics and realizing the importance of encouraging those people who are struggling to get help, the two men combined their talents to secure funding and create a video about stress on a farm which has now won a gold medal. National Health Information Award.
Smith is an AgriLife Extension program specialist for the agency. Disaster Recovery and Assessment Unitbased in Lubbock, and Lashmet, JD, is an agricultural law specialist with AgriLife Extension at Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economicsbased in Amarillo.
The film of approximately 12 minutes video “Farmers’ Mental Health with Grant Heinrich”, is the fourth episode of Safe home at home series produced by the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Educationalso known as the Southwest Ag Center, which shows farm families how to “protect their legacy” through health and security.
Smith and Lashmet received a $10,000 Mini Outreach Grant from the Southwest Ag Center to conceptualize and produce the video with Pine Curtain Film Company.
The gold medal video
The video chronicles the personal experience of Grant Heinrich, a West Texas A&M University graduate and general manager of Pro-Agri Spraying Inc. in Slaton, who faced the specter of suicide after losing an uncle and two cousins same fate. .
One of the video’s goals, Smith said, is to dispel the stigma of talking about mental health issues and touts the slogan #SpeakUpShareHope, started by the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
In the video, Heinrich talks about unique agricultural stressors and the losses his family suffered through suicide. Smith and Lashmet use video as educative tool and have received very positive reviews from program participants. They plan to create additional videos when funding becomes available to bolster their efforts to address farmer mental health in Texas.
“The goal of the video is to raise awareness of the unique stressors faced by those working in agriculture and to encourage those who may struggle to speak out,” Smith said. “This video shares the moving and very personal experience of suicide of a farmer and a family of farmers. Most importantly, it communicates a message of hope and resilience for those working in the agricultural sector.
Smith and Lashmet believe the topic is vitally important and aligns with AgriLife Extension’s mission to improve the lives of Texans. Both said the agency continues to address mental health and suicide prevention issues through programs across the state.
The mental health challenge in agriculture
People working in agriculture experience higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicide than those working in other occupations. In addition, the data from Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention shows that farmer suicide has increased by 40% over the past two decades.
Isolation, access and cost of professional treatment, and the stigma associated with seeking help remain barriers for people in agricultural and rural communities seeking the mental health care they need.
“Those involved in agriculture and agriculture-related activities often face high levels of stress because many factors affecting their lives and livelihoods are beyond their control,” Lashmet said. “Much of this stress comes from uncertainty about factors beyond the individual’s control, such as weather and negative changes in market conditions. Other contributing factors may include things like isolation and lack of resources. And, for families with generational farms and ranches, the pressure to carry on that legacy can also take a toll on people’s mental health.
She said this lack of control over one’s life and livelihood can lead to chronic stress, which can, in turn, lead to mental health problems.
“If a person is unable to handle such stress, it often leads to a negative mental state and possibly suicidal thoughts,” she said.
Lashmet also noted that finding mental health help can be even more difficult for people who live in rural or agricultural communities because they are often isolated and far from mental health resources or services.
“It can also be difficult to find resources and help online, as internet service is often limited or unreliable in many rural areas,” she noted.
Families and farm and ranch workers who are in crisis or need support can call 24/7. US Department of Agriculture-Funded SAgE Network Hotline at 833-381-SAGE (7243) or visit their farmers’ crossroads for resources. The SW Ag Center website and the AgriStress Helpline provide additional resources tailored to this community.
–Kay Ledbetter
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
