Mental Health Awareness Month
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Small Gestures, Big Impact: That’s the theme for May, Mental Health Awareness Month, by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee member, Lisa Wherry says farmers have a lot do deal with so reaching out to your neighbors can make a difference … via text, sending a card, dropping off a treat, or just making a phone call …
WHERRY … “I think what we're doing this year is really big because it gives us a big opportunity to say, hey, we're thinking about you, is everything okay? Because a lot of times if we realize as farmers we're dealing with weather, governmental issues that causes anxiety, regulations, and stuff like that causes a big impact on us and that they're not alone. We're all here for them.”
She adds that all farmers and ranchers face the same issues …
WHERRY … “Farmers are proud, we’re strong people, and we don’t want anybody to think that we're weak. We’ve got to provide food, fiber, fuel for the country, and now we're letting others know, no, it's okay if you don't feel okay. Talk about it. If you talk about it, another farmer might be dealing with the same thing you're dealing with, and you could talk through it. So, we have grown leaps and bounds over the years realizing it's out there, we've got to deal with it, we’ve got to help each other, we can all work through this together.”
So, in May or any time, Wherry says, make that call or send that text … it could make a difference.
