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Crisis hotline sees increase calls for financial challenges

The nation’s longest running crisis hotline is seeing an uptick in usage.

Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen says increased financial challenges are one of the reasons more ag producers are seeking help from the Rural Response Hotline. “We’re trying to help folks get their books pulled together, do more of a financial analysis of where they’re at, try to figure out their options are and what they can do. May it’s as simple as refinancing with a different banker.”

He tells Brownfield, “We had folks that did not get their 2025 operating loans renewed. That puts them on the shortlist for major changes on their operations, and probable end of career decision that are going to have to be made.”

Hansen says the hotline could use more federal funds for mental health vouchers. He says there have been 5-6,000 calls each year since 2023. “There’s no question about it, if we had more mental health voucher funding, the need is out there.  As most folks would suspect, ag folks are proud and independent, they’re almost always in a position where they should’ve called the hotline sooner than they did.”

Hansen says mental health vouchers have doubled each year since 2021.

John Hansen: