Sounding an alarm for farmers' stress

By SARA SYVERSON

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Repaying ag loans, working various jobs off the farm, and dealing with family illnesses were among the issues highlighted during "Farm Alarm ... Coping with Stress" at the Orchid Inn in Sleepy Eye on Monday evening.

Approximately 100 farmers and their families, rural business people and other service professionals who work with farm families attended. The event was sponsored by the Minnesota AgrAbility Project and the Minnesota Extension Service (Bridging Brown County).

The program included the performance of a seven-scene play. The production was based on real experiences of a dozen Minnesota farm families as well as testimony from people who work with farmers and farm families such as implement dealers, pastors, members from rural response teams, and bankers and lenders.

Actors Marysue Moses and Alfred Harrison of Theatre At Work, Inc. based in St. Paul, wrote the play. They and another actor presented the production, which was directed by Phil Kilbourne.

John Shutske, with the Department of Farm Safety, University of Minnesota Extension, also helped to write and moderate the presentation with Beth Zabel, Rural Technology Manager with the Minnesota AgrAbility Project.

"I think it went really well. We had good participation," said Zabel, "In a short amount of time they really covered a lot of topics. You could tell people were really thinking about the things they had seen."

The three actors depicted the lives of two farm families and the challenges they faced. These families dealt with restructuring finances to be able to pay for loans. They worked second and/or third part-time and full-time jobs off the farm to try to make ends meet. They also took care of family members who experienced stress-related illnesses.

"It's a rapidly changing environment," said Shutske, "That's one of the major causes of stress. The people who are managing stress are taking care of themselves and their families and they are trying to do different things."

"Thinking out of the box" is a concept being used by farm families to think of all the options available to them like trying different ag-related businesses (raising speciality crops or exotic animals) and services within their operations.

The play also addressed how farmers can take an inventory of the skills they already possess such as record-keeping skills, marketing skills, and other ag-business skills and apply them in any area of work.

"I thought it was great. It was the third time I'd seen it," said Dave Zimmerman, a farmer from rural Courtland and a board member of Rural Rehab Technology.

"I thought it was as moving as it was the first time I saw it," said Zimmerman, "It's all too real. They do a really good job of talking about how it really is."

Following the play, approximately 18 providers of various services in the county ranging from veterans services, victims services, counseling services to farm advocacy programs participated in a panel discussion.

Panelists gave an overview of their involvement with farming. The panelists also spoke about different parts of the play and how the play affected them, Zabel said.

"The response (from the play) during the panel discussion was very favorable," said Zabel, "People said the play hit it right on the head ... there were lots of thoughts on how people wished their legislators could see it (the play)."

The play's creators are considering updating its dialog by talking to more people, making sure the issues are still current and adding anything that seems necessary.

The AgrAbility Project is a statewide program of Goodwill/Easter Seals designed to assist farm families who have experienced disabilities.

Bridging Brown County is a group of interested citizens dedicated to connecting various communities and townships for the common purpose of the betterment of Brown County.