Frederica Freyberg:

An inside look now at Governor Evers’ plans to put a new legislative focus on farmers and mental health.

Tony Evers:

Our mental health program will assist farmers in accessing mental health support. They will also help coordinate local and regional peer support programming, and provide confidential one-on-one counseling and assistance to our farmers.

[applause]

Frederica Freyberg:

On Thursday the governor released a package of farm bills that included resources for farmers in need of mental health support. Among other things, the bills would authorize five new positions at the Department of Agriculture to serve as regional agents to assist farmers in accessing mental health services. The agents would oversee regional peer support programs as well as coordinate one-on-one counseling. The bill also increases funding for mental health professional training to better understand farmers’ stress and to help identify the warning signs of suicide. The southwest Wisconsin community action program is a Dodgeville-based nonprofit that does direct outreach to farmers in need of mental health services. The work is largely paid for by a grant from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Wally Orzechowski is the executive director. Thanks very much for being here.

Wally Orzechowski:

Thank you for inviting me.

Frederica Freyberg:

What’s your reaction to the bills around farmers’ mental health specifically that the governor announced this week?

Wally Orzechowski:

It’s absolutely terrific. I mean we need as many resources as we possibly can. We have a very small grant. It’s a wonderful grant, but it’s a very small grant and we’re using it to interact as best as we can with the farming community and help farmers who are stressed and in the end — you know, some are thinking about and a few have committed suicide, which is absolutely horrible for them and for those around them, their families. And so the more resources we have, the better. And I think we have some good ideas. We’re doing outreach. We’re working with farmers. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We really need to do much more. So those resources are going to be very well received.

Frederica Freyberg:

And you get the sense that those resources will kind of trickle down to the kinds of programming that you do?

Wally Orzechowski:

Yeah. We coordinate with everybody. And we’ve had conversations with DATCP and their farm bureau in the past about working together. And so, yeah, some of it may trickle down to organizations like ours, but more importantly, it’s just a matter of coordination.

Frederica Freyberg:

You’ve been on the front lines of this problem. How have you seen the need for mental health care among farmers increase?

Wally Orzechowski:

It’s because of the economic issues that they’re facing. Farming has always been a wonderful but at the same time stressful occupation. But with the overproduction of milk and the trade wars and the bad weather and a whole number of other factors, it’s really increased the stress level. And so many farms, I think we lost like 700 farms a year in 2018. I don’t know what the ’19 numbers are. And in addition to that, some of them are going into foreclosure or bankruptcy or are threatened with that. Farmers are losing money. It’s just created this horrible, horrible perfect storm that these farmers are going through.

Frederica Freyberg:

What kinds of words describe these farmers’ despair that you hear from them?

Wally Orzechowski:

Despair, stress. Not knowing what to do. I mean, farmers are very independent, tough, stoic group. And in that respect, it’s — it helps them in their occupations but also makes it very hard for them to reach out for services when they’re experiencing this. And whatever we’re doing, you know, we have to work, keeping in mind those cultural and social issues. I think that’s what we started doing and we just need to expand as much as we can.

Frederica Freyberg:

I understand that you kind of bring farmers together because often they feel very isolated.

Wally Orzechowski:

Yeah. Yeah. Well, farming is an isolated occupation. I mean they’re out there working on their farms. They’re not necessary interacting like you and I do, every day and they’re dealing with their issues alone because they fix a tractor or they have a sick calf or whatever it happens to be. They’re very, very independent. And again, I understand why that’s important in that type of occupation, but it also leads to a lot of difficulty in terms of searching out services. They just want to fix it themselves. And for something like this, it’s not — you can’t fix it yourself. You need help.

Frederica Freyberg:

I was reading in reporting done around the kinds of work that you’re doing that you bring farmers together and often these are times they haven’t been talking to each other. And how is that helpful?

Wally Orzechowski:

Well, farmers will talk to farmers. Or they will talk to maybe the milk truck driver, the large animal vet or somebody like that. They’re not going to — I mean they’re not going to walk into a mental health clinic. That’s just not going to happen. They’re lucky if they walk into any type of health clinic for anything. So it really has to be people that they’re comfortable with, people that they trust. And I think we’re getting to the point where we really want the farmers to help the farmers. And so we’re starting to identify some farmers because of their personalities or whoever they happen to be and they’re liked and they’re trusted in their communities. Those are the folks that are really going to be the ones that are going to provide that level of support. There are not enough mental health providers anywhere, including in rural parts of Wisconsin. And so it has to be bubbling up from the community to help the farmers. Now there may be more complicated issues they have to be dealt with by a professional, but in terms of identifying the underlying stress and the possibility of people considering suicide, that really has to come from the communities themselves.

Frederica Freyberg:

What would you tell farmers who might be in a position where they are feeling very depressed and stressed and close to that suicide?

Wally Orzechowski:

Yeah, you’re not alone. You know, there’s others like you who are going through what you’re going through and you don’t have to be out there alone. Reach out, reach out to whether it’s a member of the clergy or your physician or your spouse or whomever it happens to be. There are some resources out there. And sometimes it’s a matter of just talking to the right people. But you do have to reach out. And that’s very difficult. But you’re going to know somebody, whether it’s somebody to come get your milk or somebody who’s going to work with your cattle or whatever it happens to be. You’re going to know somebody and we’re trying to get to those somebodies to really pick out those farmers that are highly stressed because they can tell sometimes by the quality of the farm or what’s going on and then have those conversations and bring them into the world that can help them.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. We really appreciate your work. Wally Orzechowski, thanks very much.

Wally Orzechowski:

Thank you.