National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Myers, A, Haskin, T, Kantrovich, A, and Roy, N.
Suicide rates in the United States are higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and are
exceedingly high among people working within the “Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and
Hunting” industry group. Extension professionals have long been trusted and valued educators
in rural, agricultural, and natural resource communities and their capacity to both engage on this
challenging topic, and to make an impact, is growing. A suite of evidence-based practices are
being implemented at the local- and state-levels to reduce stress, provide emotional support,
and prevent suicide in this vulnerable population.

In response to tragic deaths in Oregon, a broad bipartisan and multidisciplinary stakeholder
coalition, across agriculture and the health system, worked to pass legislation in Oregon and to
launch the AgriStress Helpline in 2023. The AgriStress Helpline utilizes a “care navigation”
process where the helpline responders: triage for safety and provide de-escalation using a crisis
intervention model; provide emotional support and coping techniques; and, when necessary,
direct callers to the appropriate resources for their situation. In the first four months of
operation, calls were received from 16 of 36 Oregon counties.

The South Carolina (SC) AgriWellness program provides farmers with telephone support and
complementary resources. Through this program, farmers receive a minimum of three free
counseling sessions with mental health professional(s), Life Management Services, and access
to the online Well-being Center. The Clemson Extension Agribusiness Team also works as part
of the program with farmers to provide support through one-on-one consultations on farm
financial analysis and planning to assist in one of the top reasons for stress within the
agricultural industry, financial difficulties.

Extension specialists recognize that farmers prefer to speak to helpline specialists and
counselors who understand the stressors of agriculture. In 2022, AgriSafe launched
FarmResponse, an on-demand, self-paced 3.5-hour continuing education module that provides
healthcare providers with the full range of competencies necessary to provide appropriate
mental healthcare for agricultural producers and their families. To date, almost a thousand
healthcare practitioners have been trained in Farm Response across forty-three states.
FarmResponse is the only training of its kind that has been accepted in the Suicide Prevention
Resource Center (SPRC) Best Practices Registry, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Every listing on the SPRC’s Best Practices
Registry has been reviewed by experts to ensure they align with the most current guidance on
suicide prevention.

Speakers in this presentation will share their roles in: implementation of a unique agricultural
suicide/resource crisis line; raising awareness about the burden of stress and suicide in the
agricultural community and the need for tailored services; fundraising efforts and partnership
development to fund the line; development of culturally and linguistically appropriate
promotional materials for the line for people in differing industries (e.g., ranching, fishing) and
roles (e.g., farmer, farmworker); and, launching an evidenced-based agricultural mental health
training that supports state farm stress efforts and expands referrals for agricultural
communities and the AgriStress Helpline.