Farmers are dying by suicide at an alarming rate. That is why a “mental health first-aid” course is being offered to those in the local agriculture community.

The ongoing government shutdown is only compounding stress many farmers face. Some fear the stalemate could mean they miss federal payments or access to loans. That, on top of the stress of simply making ends meet, has led to, what many are calling a “mental health crisis.”

On February 4, a class in Albany County aims to provide farmers the tools they need to support each other and themselves.

“When farmers are feeling that financial pitch, there’s just a loss of hope,” said Kate Downes, programming director for NY FarmNet, a Cornell University program.

In the last five years, New York State has lost 20 percent of its dairy farms. Downes says farmers are dying by suicide at an alarming rate. She spoke to Spectrum News via smartphone from a “farm stress management summit” in Michigan.

"This is the worst farm depression, recession, that we've seen, that America has seen, since the 1980s farm crisis,” Downes said.

A 2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report stated farmers have the highest rate of suicide of any occupation, nearly five-times higher than the general population. The report was redacted days later.

The federal agency says flawed data may have inflated the findings. Regardless of the report’s findings, Downes says the issue cannot be ignored.

“Increased stress levels can result in poor decision making which can result in physical harm,” Downes said.

The course will be held at the Cooperative Extension offices in Voorheesville on February 4.  

“They are such a necessity to us in our daily lives but so often we don’t appreciate what they’re doing in their daily lives,” said John Cooney, who is teaching the course.

Cooney is a retired police captain in Troy who know owns his own business, Healthy Mind Consulting. He mainly works with law enforcement but recently spent time with farmers in Pennsylvania.

“We are going to send a message to them that they can take back their community, and they can not only be on the lookout for anyone in their community affected, but they’ll also [be] very well equipped to look out for themselves,” Cooney said.

The future of farming in New York State are unknown, but both believe mental health education is a critical to stem the tide of farmer suicides.

Spectrum News also reached out to the The New York Farm Bureau.

A spokesman said farmers can be very proud people and may not always reach out for the help they need. They’ve worked with FarmNet to hold a series of mental health workshops. NY Farm Net has a hotline for farmers experiencing financial stress. The number is: 1-800-547-3276

They offer help from trained consultants at no cost to farmers.

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