USU Extension Ag Wellness- The Greatest Asset is You
Sustainable Agriculture
Joshua Dallin
Director and Associate Professor- USU Bastian Agricultural Center
Utah State University
South Jordan
Abstract
The USU Extension Ag Wellness Program was developed to increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health in rural agriculture communities. This program includes a unique collaboration of Agriculture Faculty and Home and Community Faculty from USU Extension. The goal of this program is to help bring awareness to farmers and ranchers about mental health illness, symptoms, treatments and resources. To accomplish this goal, the team created an hour-long mental health presentation titled “The Greatest Asset is You” that is taught in pesticide applicator trainings, other Extension events such as crop schools, and in local communities where mental health or suicide has had a large negative impact. The presentation utilizes hands on activities as well as current research to teach participants about the symptoms of the most common mental health illnesses. The end of the presentation focuses on mental health resources that can be utilized to help a friend or family member who may be struggling with their mental health. Results from these trainings found that 62% of adult participants stated they were willing to change their behaviors towards mental health because of what they had learned, with an additional 16% stating that they had already changed their behavior towards mental health because of information they had learned before. In addition to the evaluation data, many producers after the training come up to presenters stating that this presentation caused them to have some self-reflection about if they had struggled with mental health or if someone close to them was struggling. Numerous people have come forward to tell us that they have had struggles with mental health and that any information or education that we can provide is always appreciated. Because of these attempts, the stigma towards mental health is starting to slowly change. Better mental health options for our farmers and ranchers is one of the greatest focuses of sustainability of agriculture in our current time. Without our producers and their families operating at their best, there is no need for any other sustainable practices.
During the presentation USU Extension will present to NACAA peers on resources, findings, and best practices to introduce mental health topics into their extension programming (see: https://extension.usu.edu/agwellness/index). They will cover implementations that have found success and others that have not. The intent of the presentation will be to help other States to not have to recreate or create working resources.
Authors: Joshua Dallin, Jacob Hadfield, Sadie Wilde, Ashley Butler
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Joshua Dallin Director and Associate Professor- USU Bastian Agricultural Center, Utah State University , Utah, 84095
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Jacob Hadfield USU Extension Assistant Professor, Utah State University , Utah, 84648
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Sadie Wilde Professional Practice Extension Assistant Professor of Health & Wellness Health Extension, Utah State University, Utah, 84037
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Ashley Butler Extension Programs and Communications Coordinator, Utah State University, Utah, 84037