Author: Patrick Hardesty
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - ANR
A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that farmers are twice as likely as people in other occupations to die by suicide. Knowing the already present stresses on our farmers and the devastation from the two tornados that caused additional emotional and financial stresses, a Raising Hope Picnic was held. Approximately 76 people affected by the tornados participated in the picnic and learned from two speakers that it was okay to have the feelin
Author: Bethany Pratt
The Recovery Garden Toolkit is a Kentucky CES resource developed by a multi-disciplinary team of Extension Agents, Specialists, Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistants and Extension Faculty from Community and Leadership Development, Nutrition Education, Horticulture, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Family and Consumer Sciences. The goal of the Recovery Garden Toolkit is to support Extension Agents and Nutrition Educators to implement sustainable, impactful, collaborative programming
Author: Nathan Rider
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service partners with organizations around the state to extend the resources of the university and strengthen engaging community programs. In Bullitt County the Cooperative Extension Service has worked for several years with Sunrise Children’s Services which operates a network of residential programs across the state that offer long-term, residential care and treatment to young people ages 12-18. Sunrise Children's Services works to help
Author: Sarah Fannin
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), farming is two times as deadly as serving on law enforcement and five times more deadly than serving as a firefighter. In fact, farming is rated the sixth most dangerous occupation, beating out powerline workers and steelworkers. There is also a high concentration of mental illness among farmers, particularly when it comes to depression. Many of these conditions are stress-induced and can be life-threatening if
Based on a 2019 community survey, Extension leaders identified substance use disorder as one of the most pressing issues in Morgan County. Families, workplaces, and court services have been negatively impacted by this condition – hampering community and economic growth for the county. Support for recovery efforts is crucial if this trend is to be reversed. Therapeutic horticulture is a proven practice to help persons with substance use disorder achieve their treatme
Author: Adam Huber
Health Screening for Agriculture Producers The agriculture industry can be a very stressful and physically demanding occupation. That is why it is very important for our agriculture producers to take care of themselves and to receive regular health checkups to ensure that their health and wellbeing is adequate for the job at hand. In response to the need for keeping our agriculture producers strong, healthy, and informed, I partnered with local health groups to host free health screens at
Author: Robert Brockman
The problemA 2020 analysis of Millennium Health drug tests showed that Kentucky leads the nation for co-occurring fentanyl and cocaine use, fentanyl alone use, and is second in the nation for co-occurring fentanyl and meth use. The educational program responseThe Brighton Recovery Center for Women is a 100 bed facility in Boone County that helps women recover from substance abuse and addiction. The Boone County Extension Service is partnering with the Brighton Center to provide horticultura
Author: Kendal Bowman
Owen County Ag Agent Kendal Bowman set out on a mission to increase the diversity and inclusion within his programs by “Building the bridge with underserved religious populations in rural communities- Amish & Mennonite population”. Bowman worked with a local dairy farmer that identifies with the Mennonite faith. They developed a plan to offer a farm tour of their local dairy operation. Bowman partnered with Eastern Kentucky University Agriculture Department to bring their dairy s
Author: Jessica Hopkins
Farmers and farmworkers consistently report high levels of stress associated with commodity production and rural living. The culmination of rural living, farm work, and stress is associated with elevated rates of suicide in farming occupations. The BARN (Bringing Awareness Right Now): Farm Dinner Theater was developed as a strategy to address and explore the difficult topics of mental health and suicide within a rural community. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension agents from Harri
Author: Kristin Hildabrand
Last summer, the Warren County Extension Office conducted the BARN dinner theater to Bring Awareness Right Now to Mental Health in the rural community. It was such a successful event; the Warren County Extension Council initiated a follow-up program dedicated to mental health awareness called Harvest Festival. Agents, council members, and community partners worked together to host an event filled with educational information and health screenings for participants.
Author: Joanna Coles
Last summer, the Warren County Extension Office conducted the BARN dinner theater to Bring Awareness Right Now to Mental Health in the rural community. It was such a successful event; the Warren County Extension Council initiated a follow-up program dedicated to mental health awareness called Harvest Festival. Agents, council members, and community partners worked together to host an event filled with educational information and health screenings for participants.Sixty people attende
Author: Jessica Barnes
Farmers and farmworkers consistently report high levels of stress associated with commodity production and rural living. The culmination of rural living, farm work, and stress is associated with elevated rates of suicide in farming occupations. The BARN: Farm Dinner Theater was developed as a strategy to address and explore the difficult topics of mental health and suicide within a rural community. UK Cooperative Extension agents from Harrison County recruited youth participants to experien
Author: Chelsey Anderson
Over 100 children are killed on farms each year in the United States according to the CDC. With that statistic and knowledge, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent applied for a grant to host a Progressive Agriculture Foundation safety day and it was awarded. The event was held on September 30, 2022 at the Cumberland County Elementary School for fourth and fifth grade students. Participant ages ranged from 9 to 11. Students were able to visit booths about water safety (Army Corp of Enginee
Author: Chelsea Sapp
Chelsea SappANR Success Story #1October 2022 Farmer Suicide Prevention At a recent Marion County Cattlemen meeting, Dale Dobson and Dr. Cheryl Witt gave a very informative lesson on farmer suicide prevention. I organized this event and worked with Dale Dobson, safety coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Dr. Cheryl Witt on coming to speak with our membership about suicide prevention. From 2004-2017, 109 farmers died due to suicide in Kentucky. With at least on
