Resilient Farms & Families: Responding to Stress
Resilient Farms and Families:
Resources to support the wellbeing of Wisconsin farmers and farm families
Home » Safety & Health » Farm Stress
The ongoing economic conditions in agriculture are taking a toll on farm families and their rural communities. The associated chronic stress is also impacting mental and physical well-being, relationships, and decision-making. Extension helps farmers, families, businesses, and communities remain resilient by learning how to manage stress and use planning tools to make sound decisions and create a road-map for the future.
If you need immediate assistance…
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
988
Wisconsin DATCP Farmer Wellness Helpline
1-888-901-2558
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1-800-662-4357
Take Action
Learning Opportunities
COMET™
A gentle introduction to supporting friends and neighbors in a vulnerable space to help them shift their mental health trajectory back to a place of wellness and away from the path of a mental health crisis
Navigating Your Ag Business: From Stress to Success
An online course designed to support farm businesses to make decisions, take action to move their farms forward, and reduce the farm members’ stress
WeCOPE
An evidence-based program that helps adults cope with life stress
Covering Wisconsin
Connecting Wisconsin residents with health insurance and other programs that support health
Mental Health First Aid
A program designed to teach participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health concerns or illness and substance use disorders
Learning to BREATHE
Teaching youth participants to experience the present moment with compassion and openness using a research-based mindfulness curriculum.
Cultivating Your Farms Future
Provides tools and resources for farmers who want to start their succession plans
Shoebox to Strategy: Organizing Your Farm Legacy
A workshop series to organize essential documents and financial information to better prepare for estate planning – saving you time, money, and stress
Explore more learning opportunities
Helpful Articles
Strategic Decision-Making: A Roadmap From Basic Recordkeeping to Advanced Financial Analysis
Financial recordkeeping and management are often major stressors for farm owners, but following a basic roadmap can power profitability, planning and peace of mind.
Five tools to address stress
Stress management is an essential business skill in today’s agriculture. As a farmer, you have a responsibility to maintain your mental and physical health just like you have a responsibility to maintain your farm equipment.
Benefits of Sleep for Mental and Physical Wellbeing
Have you noticed feeling more irritable or less able to think clearly and concentrate after a night of bad sleep? You’re not alone. Sleep is as essential to your overall health as food and water are.
It’s okay to talk about farm suicide risk
Farming is an occupation that stirs passions in the hearts of those connected to agriculture. It is also important to admit that the risk of suicide among farmers is real. In fact, the rate is over three times higher among all who live in rural areas as compared to those who live in urban places.