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More farmers reaching out to crisis hotline amid economic strain

Calls to the nation’s longest-running farm crisis hotline are on the rise.

Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen says the Rural Response Hotline, established in 1984 during the 80s farm crisis, has received 5 to 7,000 calls each year from producers who are in need of resources. “We get all kinds of requests for financial counseling. We’ve geared up in recent times to be able to provide more of those services because those services are needed. We also provide mental health vouchers.”

The hotline is administered by the Rural Response Council, and he says the organization issues anywhere from 4 to 8,000 vouchers per year.

Hansen says the economic reality facing producers is the worst it’s been since the 1980s and it’s reached a breaking point. “They didn’t get barley get by for four years in a row. They’ve already refinanced their operations several times. They’re running out of those options. We have a substantial number of farmers and ranchers that do not have their operating loans in place.”  

He says farms of all sizes are struggling and in some cases are losing several-hundred dollars per acre.