Local farmers facing the emotional and financial pressures of agriculture will soon have a new resource designed to support their mental health.

The new Farmer’s Talk program will provide farmers with an opportunity to speak confidentially with Stabilization Support Services (SSS) Clinical Director Robert Cox during a weekly Monday call-in hour from 11 a.m. to noon. The first-come, first-served program is designed to help farmers navigate the unique mental health challenges and economic pressures facing agriculture.

“Farm families, especially men, are used to just ‘“hunkering down’” and trying to get through,” stated Cox. “We would like to offer a helping hand and some real coping skills to help with those stressors.”

Cox explained the idea grew from SSS’ broader rural mental health efforts and the role agriculture plays in sustaining local communities.

“The suicide rate among farmers is exceptionally high,” said Cox. “Even now with more and more economic stressors on the small family farm…