Farmers Can Find Community in Online Support Group
Community is especially important in farming, as living and working in rural communities can feel isolating. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the cold winter months upon us, it is easier than ever to feel lonely or disconnected from our community. Community can be defined many different ways, but in its simplest form, it is about connection. Community is about more than a group or organization. It is the feeling of belonging, being accepted, and having similar values and beliefs so you connect and thrive.
Having a safe space to share farming challenges and obtain encouragement is the focus of the Wisconsin Farm Center’s monthly online farmer support group. The group, open to any Wisconsin farmer or farm family member, is moderated by a licensed mental health provider with extensive experience in serving farmers and a farmer peer leader. It is held virtually on Zoom so that participants can choose to turn on their camera or be anonymous by simply turning their cameras off and identifying by first name only.
“The online farmer support group is a convenient way to connect with other farmers and a community that understands farming and all the complexities that go along with it,” said Farmer Wellness Program Coordinator Karen Endres. “Connect to the group easily with your phone or computer and spend an hour with others where you can share challenges, give encouragement, or just listen.”
The Wisconsin Farm Center’s online farmer support groups meets at 8 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month. To register for an upcoming meeting and learn more, visit our website or register at https://bit.ly/2KI2ftd.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP) Farm Center also offers farmers and their families additional wellness programs including counseling vouchers, tele-counseling, and a 24/7 Farmer Wellness Helpline (1-888-901-2558). For more information on these programs, contact Farmer Wellness Program Coordinator Karen Endres at karenk.endres@wisconsin.gov or (608) 982-6007.
Karen Endres is the Farmer Wellness Program Coordinator for the Wisconsin Farm Center at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
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Featured Event:
COMET™ - Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory
COMET™ is a short, two-hour program and 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. This program was developed by the High Plains Research Network Community Advisory Council specifically for rural communities.
Rural communities and farm families value supporting each other in times of need. When a physical ailment or a death happens to a farming family, the community rallies to get the crop planted or harvested, and meals are made and delivered. Rural and farming community members may not know how to support someone they’ve noticed might be struggling with their mental health. COMET™ empowers friends and neighbors to be more prepared to support others’ mental health needs – especially before a crisis. This training doesn’t expect community members to “fix it” but trains people to feel comfortable initiating a supportive but potentially emotional conversation using a conversational seven-question guide. The training encourages participants to be comfortable and present with someone who is struggling but not yet at the point of crisis. The questions were developed from evidence-based techniques from a variety of approaches, including motivational interviewing.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division is partnering with Farm Well Wisconsin to offer this training to rural and farming communities. A virtual training that will provide the seven COMET™ questions and opportunities to practice is scheduled for February 21, 2022 from 10 am - Noon. Pre-registration is required.
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