Farmers Can Get Free Mental & Physical Health Help in Illinois

While many different industries are associated with the buzzword "essential" one group is often left aside, our farmers. Not only are farmers still working countless hours during this pandemic they may also be feeling the effects of many restaurants' closure. Fewer restaurants could mean fewer fruits, vegetables, and meats. Maybe I'm a little off with that assessment but, regardless, farming isn't easy and two organizations are stepping forward to help the agriculture community. Thankfully, SIU Medicine in Carbondale and the Illinois Department of Agriculture have partnered to "improve the mental and physical wellbeing" of farmers and their families.

Karen Stallmann, an Agriculture Resource Specialist at SIU, said farmers do a lot with the farm but not for themselves.

Farmers take care of their crops, they take care of their livestock and their equipment, but often farmers don’t take care of themselves.

As of this article, only six counties are a part of this initiative, Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Morgan, and Sangamon.

The program, called Farm Family Resource Initiative, is available to farmers and their families who are overwhelmed with stress need someone to talk to and is free of charge.

As of this article, only six counties are a part of this initiative, Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Morgan, and Sangamon but there are plans to expand. Also, the service is currently only available by phone at 1-833-FARM-SOS.

You can learn more about the Farm Family Resource Initiative here.

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JB Love is ½ of Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.