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MSU puts emphasis on community behavioral health

The head of Michigan State University Extension is continuing to expand resources to address farmer mental health.

“Farming is a very difficult occupation.” 

Director Jeff Dwyer tells Brownfield three years ago he knew something needed to be done after a call with officials at the Department of Ag.

“His people had been experiencing higher than typical experiences with attempted suicide and completed suicided and just people really struggling with the stress associated with low commodity prices and other challenges—and so we really dug in right away.”      

MSU Extension immediately began programs for farm families and industry professionals on farm stress management.

“This is something we need to be more attentive to today than ever before.”     

One expert on community behavioral health will expand to eight by the end of this year and Dwyer says several states are hiring mental health experts.

“These are not easy issues to talk about—finances, stress, mental health, depression, all of these sorts of things nobody wants to talk about.  Some argue that those in agriculture might be at the top of the list.”    

Earlier this year, MSU Extension hosted training educators from 23 other states to help them provide similar training.