MTSU is leading a new statewide effort aimed at helping Tennessee farmers and agricultural workers find mental health and stress-related resources.
The university’s School of Agriculture and Center for Health and Human Services will jointly lead Tennessee’s work with the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network South, or FRSAN South.
A grant awarded to the School of Agriculture through MTSU’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences will help bring agricultural, health and community organizations together, increase awareness of available resources and improve connections between farmers and support services.
FRSAN South is the Southern Region of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. The program connects people working in farming, ranching and other agricultural occupations with resources to address stress and related challenges. North Carolina State University is the regional lead institution.
Chaney Mosley, an associate professor of agricultural education at MTSU and the project’s lead principal investigator, said farmers face pressures that can make access to support especially important. Those challenges can include financial and production uncertainty, long hours, isolation and the responsibility of maintaining a farm or agricultural operation.
“This project gives us an opportunity to work through the people and organizations farmers already know and rely on to make information and support more visible, practical and accessible,” Mosley said.
The initiative’s early work will include Question, Persuade, Refer, or QPR, suicide-prevention training for agricultural stakeholders, students and community members. The team also will distribute FRSAN South resources, hold partner meetings and listening sessions, and identify farm stress and mental health resources available throughout Tennessee.
The project will involve agricultural educators, Agricultural Extension Service personnel, businesses, community organizations, health providers and other trusted partners.
Cynthia Chafin, director of MTSU’s Center for Health and Human Services and a co-principal investigator, said the partnership builds on the center’s work in rural communities.
“Farmer mental health is an important rural health issue, and this partnership allows us to combine that experience with the School of Agriculture’s expertise and trusted relationships within the agricultural community,” Chafin said.
The Center for Health and Human Services has worked on rural initiatives involving mental health awareness, suicide prevention training, stigma reduction, substance use education, community outreach and partnership development. The School of Agriculture brings agricultural education expertise and established relationships with agricultural stakeholders.
MTSU is also creating a Tennessee Farm Stress and Wellbeing Resource Directory. The directory will make it easier for farmers, agricultural workers, families and the people who serve them to find programs, services, training opportunities and other support.
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