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Campaign helps Ohio farmers navigate stress, connect with resources

The director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture says the 2019 growing season has shown just how many factors are out of a farmer’s control which can lead to stress.

Dorothy Pelanda says that’s why the Ohio Department of Agriculture joined with industry partners to create a “Got Your Back” campaign to connect farmers with mental health resources.

“Providing them with the tools so that they can begin learning coping skills with regard to how they move forward in a summer where they literally sat idle with nothing to do as the weeds continued to take over their fields,” she says.

She tells Brownfield many farmers aren’t comfortable with talking about mental health, which is why the department wants to be proactive.

“Farming is a family venture and children of farming families are feeling the stress,” she says. “They feel intensely and innately what their parents are feeling so it’s important that we be proactive about this and provide them with resources rather than waiting for them to reach out to us.”

Visit gotyourbackohio.org for more.