Raising Hope Supports Farmers’ Mental Health and Farm Safety
In partnership with: Kentucky Department of Agriculture
More than half of U.S. farmers suffer from depression, and a third suffer from anxiety. Furthermore, farmers are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to the general population, according to findings by the University of Kentucky. In 2019, these statistics led to the formation of Raising Hope, a necessary effort to enhance health and safety awareness among Kentucky farmers.
“Raising Hope started as a suicide prevention initiative for farmers,” said founding member Dale Dobson, who lost a friend to suicide.
However, some farmers shied away from engaging with the organization because of stigmas surrounding mental illness. So, Raising Hope broadened its scope to farmers’ overall wellness, inclusive of mental and physical health, safety, and rescue.
“We found that farmers were more willing to receive information when physical and mental health were packaged together,” Dobson said. “A conversation about blood pressure or equipment safety may easily lead into a deeper discussion about other aspects of well-being, including mental anguish.”
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Pocket Change
In addition to increasing awareness and access to support, Raising Hope strives to show farmers they’re valued. Presented with a heartfelt handshake and words of gratitude, Raising Hope distributes challenge coins – a tangible reminder for recipients to remember they are supported and cared about.
“There’re now over 10,000 challenge coins in Kentucky,” Dobson said. “I’ve had the honor of personally giving out 1,900 coins.”
One of which he gave to Doug Omer, a fourth-generation farmer in Morganfield raising corn, soybeans, wheat, and beef cattle. In 2022, Omer was trapped in a grain bin for more than six hours. His saviors had received safety training on entrapment rescue
just the week prior.
“Doug is here today because Raising Hope trained the people that trained the responders that went to his bin,” Dobson said. “He’s alive because rescuers knew what to do.”
Omer agrees and advocates for farm safety training after seeing firsthand the impact it can have in life-saving situations.
“Without their training and knowledge, my outcome could’ve resulted in a tragic death,” he said.
Statistically, 50 percent of entrapment incidents are fatal. Omer is working to help educate and empower farmers and first responders by sharing his firsthand account at safety training sessions, attesting to the strenuous demands and risks of the agriculture industry.
“Farming is unpredictable and out of our control on many levels,” Omer said, citing long hours, vigorous labor, occupational dangers, financial pressures, weather uncertainties, and work-life imbalance. “But like my fellow farmers, farming isn’t a job to me. It’s my life.”
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Meaningful Messaging
Dobson said, on average, Raising Hope hosts 115 programs, reaching more than a million people annually with the message: “We love you. We appreciate you. Put safety first and enjoy life.”
And the message is landing. Incidents of farmer injuries, disabilities, and casualties have decreased in recent years. Dobson said he’s aware of nearly 20 Kentucky farmers who were saved by the work of Raising Hope.
“Raising Hope is a great organization that’s a call away,” Omer said. “Though sometimes it may feel like you’re up against the world, farmers are not alone – ever.”
The program hopes easy access and prominent messaging will ease the stress Kentucky farmers face on a daily basis, assuring them that people care, and they are not alone.
“Every farmer has stressful days and unpredictable situations, so with that being said, we all need to realize that we are in this together and rely on support from one another and our community,” Omer said.
Recently undergoing an organizational restructure, Raising Hope is now exclusively funded through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Dobson spearheads safety components, and his Raising Hope partner, Dr. Cheryl Witt, oversees health. Witt, a sixth-generation farmer, is also an Extension specialist senior-ag nurse at UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
“Raising Hope is focused on helping farmers and farm families remain healthy and in the field for as long as possible with a good quality of life,” Dobson said.
For additional resources and to learn more about Raising Hope’s mission, visit raisinghopeky.com.
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