Nov 20, 2019
In last week’s episode, we covered “Tough Times in Farming & Mental Health Concerns.” This episode is created with the farmer in mind.
In this week’s follow up episode with Gerry Friesen titled “Front Line Workers In Ag & Mental Health Concerns” we are speaking to and supporting the front line workers in agriculture. Who are front line workers, you may ask? They are anyone and everyone that works directly with farmers, including; sales representatives, nutritionists, agrologists, veterinarians, mechanics/technicians, consultants, accounts payable, bankers, etc. They are the professionals that work at agriculture companies and connect directly with farmers on the telephone and through on-farm visits.
Often since family and employees are directly involved in the farm and “so close to home,” these professionals are the trusted outside individual that farmers are comfortable opening up to. This can be both a point of honor and a source of strain for front line workers. Take, for example, the salesman that needs to visit the farm and chat about next year’s inputs, while in a year like 2019, this year’s crops may have just come off with much frustration or may even still be sitting in the field. As a professional, they are just doing their job, and because they are a trusted individual, they either become the confidant for the farmer’s troubles or the dumping ground for their frustration. It is often these same professionals that become privy to or spot mental health concerns in their clients. What should they do?
In today’s episode, we chat about just that. Do you work on the front lines with farmers? If so, this episode in for you.