988 Materials For the Georgia Farming & Agricultural Community
A MESSAGE FROM DBHDD COMMISSIONER
Farming can be the greatest job in the world. But the reality is it’s also incredibly stressful and isolating.
I know this firsthand. I’m from Dawson County and grew up on land that’s been in my family since 1850. I’ve come to realize farming is a 24-hour job. You’re NEVER off the clock.
Kevin Tanner, DBHDD Commissioner
There are many factors outside our control — natural disasters, extreme weather events, financial pressures due to fluctuating commodity prices, and labor shortages, just to name a few.
As farmers, we can do everything right and still fail. I also know farmers are proud people who bottle up their emotions. They’re expected to be tough, or at least they think that’s what is expected of them.
I’m here to tell you it’s okay to not be okay. And it’s more than okay to reach out for help.
My goal is to make it easier for people to ask for help when they need it and receive the services they need when they ask for help. There’s an important tool for people who need help, and I encourage you to use it.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis — or just need someone to talk to — call or text 988.
When you dial or text 988, you’ll find caring, compassionate and certified counselors on the other end of the line. And all of these calls are confidential. Think of 988 as the 911 for mental health emergencies.
Just talking about mental health with fellow farmers will help us reduce the stigma associated with it.
I am optimistic about the journey forward, especially here in Georgia — and especially in rural Georgia.
— Commissioner Kevin Tanner
You Are Not Alone… Help Is Available!
A recent study done at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University with assistance from the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture quantifies what many in agriculture have known — farming comes with extraordinary stress.
The survey of 1,651 respondents showed 96% of farmers are either moderately or highly stressed. Almost half of respondents said they felt sad or depressed, 39% felt hopeless.
The study showed that 29% of farm workers, owners and managers had thoughts of suicide in the past year. Among first-generation farmers, 60% said they had suicidal thoughts in the past year. 9% of those first-generation farmers think about suicide daily.
Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities wants you to know resources are available when the stress becomes overwhelming.
If the stress of farm life is overwhelming, we want you to know help is available 24/7.
