This story was created by <\/em>Spotlight PA State University Regional Office<\/em>an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public service journalism in Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a newsletter that takes a deep dive into local stories, events and more from north central Pennsylvania. <\/em>Spotlightpa.org\/newsletters\/talkofthetown<\/em>.<\/p>\n BELLEFONT \u2014 In Pennsylvania, calls and texts to emergency lines supporting the agricultural community have plummeted since federal aid expired.<\/p>\n The Shapiro administration is currently giving helpline staff $100,000, but the nonprofits that run the helplines have also requested funding for promotions.<\/p>\n From February 2022 to June 2024, the AgriStress Helpline, a resource developed by the nonprofit AgriSafe Network, responded to 107 calls and text messages from Pennsylvania farmers and their representatives. Fifty-eight of those were accomplished within the first 11 months after the count began across the state with the support of a $500,000 federal grant.<\/p>\n The 24-hour helpline can be reached by calling 833-897-2474 or texting PA to 741-741 and operates 24\/7 in 11 states. Staffed by crisis professionals trained to respond to agriculture-related issues, the number has received more than 1,600 calls and text messages in the more than four years since it opened. According to AgriSafe, the biggest problems are losses from disasters and a lack of funds to purchase supplies needed for operations.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania’s usage is declining, according to an AgriSafe report obtained through a public records request. In a letter sent to the state Department of Agriculture ahead of a January legislative hearing on farmer mental health, AgriSafe, which focuses on health and safety efforts among the farming community, reported a 300% decline since 2024.<\/p>\n The nonprofit organization has not disclosed the exact amount it will use after 2024, and declined requests for an interview. AgriSafe suggested in its report that the decline may be related to a reduction in promotions after the grant expires, but helplines remain open across the state “in anticipation of future funding streams becoming available.”<\/p>\n \u201cAgriSafe believes that had funding and state promotional support continued at 2022 levels, Pennsylvania’s call volume could have been comparable to Texas’,\u201d the report states. \u201cFor comparison, Texas has 366 contacts (calls\/texts) since opening in February 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas also has a “robust” suicide awareness and prevention program targeting rural areas, the report said.<\/p>\n This year, AgriSafe asked Pennsylvania for $380,064 in a two-year budget request. This includes $90,032 for running the crisis line and $100,000 for marketing and support. AgriSafe said it would donate the majority of its promotional funds to organizations such as the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, according to email records.<\/p>\n At least some of those requests are being met. Pennsylvania will allocate $100,000 from the state farm bill to support the helpline, state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding told lawmakers earlier this year. An agency spokesperson told Spotlight PA in an email that the agency is currently in the process of contracting with AgriSafe, which will use the funds to staff the hotline.<\/p>\n Although the budget does not directly fund the crisis helpline initiative, a spokesperson said Pennsylvania will work with AgriSafe to promote the resource through social media, outreach and events.<\/p>\n State Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Beaver) told Spotlight Pennsylvania that the initial spike in AgriStress calls could reflect stress caused by supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of grants to fuel the helpline.<\/p>\n Vogel, a farmer and chairman of the state Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, thinks funding for the AgriStress product line could be helpful, but he acknowledges the state has competing needs.<\/p>\n “We work hard every year to get funding, even if it’s a small amount, within our budget,” he said. \u201cEvery little thing helps.\u201d<\/p>\n Since 2023, Pennsylvania’s 988 call centers have received more than 360,000 calls, according to the state Department of Human Services. A spokesperson for the agency said it does not track whether these calls are agriculture-related, but said its 988 crisis management staff can connect callers to the Agristres helpline.<\/p>\n The 988 number allows anyone to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.<\/p>\n Rosie Rapowski, a spokeswoman for Gov. Josh Shapiro, said in a statement to Spotlight Pennsylvania that the governor’s proposed $53.3 billion budget includes $10 million allocated to increase 988 capacity. She also pointed to previous state spending on county mental health programs and crisis response efforts, including walk-in services and 988.<\/p>\n \u201cBut states can\u2019t do this alone. Congress needs to pass a comprehensive farm bill to continue funding services like AgriStress that give farmers access to critical mental health resources when they need them,\u201d Rapowski said.<\/p>\n At a joint parliamentary hearing on mental health at this year’s Farm Show, Redding highlighted 107 calls and texts to the Agristres helpline. He also pointed to the federal Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program, which can connect people in need to resources, but needs reauthorization from Congress to continue.<\/p>\n “We’re not going to shut down the structure here in the state in the meantime,” he told lawmakers on the state House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees.<\/p>\n Lisa Wherry didn’t realize how many people in Pennsylvania used the AgriStress helpline in its first year, but she praised the state for rolling out and promoting the resource.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we needed it, and we still need it,\u201d Washington County Farm Bureau Director Wherry told Spotlight PA. “I think we need it even more today because of inflation, the cost of fertilizer, the cost of the weather that traditionally affects us. We’ve had more storms this year. There are a lot of barriers in the way of being a successful farmer.”<\/p>\n Wherry added that farmers can better check in with each other because “we’re all facing the same thing.”<\/p>\n But simplicity could help people working in volatile industries, she added. Shortening the length of hotlines like the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988 could increase uptake, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to see faster numbers,\u201d Wherry said. \u201cIf we could make that three-digit number easy for farmers, I think that would be very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n National policymakers have long debated rural mental health issues.<\/p>\n Experts at the Farm Show hearing, including Penn State’s Florence Becot, outlined how things beyond a farmer’s control, such as weather, prices, supply chains and workloads, are putting pressure on farmers’ mental health.<\/p>\n “Nationally, agriculture has the fourth highest suicide rate of all occupations, and farmers who die by suicide are less likely to have received treatment or had warning signs than the general population, making prevention more difficult,” Becot, a rural sociologist, testified.<\/p>\n Research shows that farmers are often more willing than able to receive assistance, she said. However, lack of services, labor shortages, limited time, and a lack of agriculturally informed care make it difficult for people in need to receive assistance.<\/p>\n To address these barriers, Becot recommended that policymakers create counseling voucher programs, hire more behavioral health professionals to work in the agricultural sector, and provide base funding for crisis hotlines staffed by trained professionals to support the sector. Additionally, he said there is a need to reduce health insurance costs, increase access to child care, and create paid family and medical leave, including options for self-employed farmers.<\/p>\n \u201cAbove all, Pennsylvania needs a well-funded, long-term, stable approach to farm mental health that avoids a cycle of crisis escalation and subsequent layoffs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Support this journalism <\/em><\/span>Help us power local news in north central Pennsylvania. <\/em>spotlightpa.org\/donate<\/em>. Spotlight PA’s funders include: <\/em>Foundation and readers like you<\/em> These are people who are committed to public service journalism that fulfills its responsibilities and produces results.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n #Mental #health #crisis #hits #Pennsylvania #farmer #hotline #calls #texts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This story was created by Spotlight PA State University Regional Officean independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public service journalism in Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a newsletter that takes a deep dive into local stories, events and more from north central Pennsylvania. Spotlightpa.org\/newsletters\/talkofthetown. BELLEFONT \u2014 In Pennsylvania, calls and texts … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[664,612,662,173,660,663,611,661,665],"class_list":["post-500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-calls","tag-crisis","tag-farmer","tag-health","tag-hits","tag-hotline","tag-mental","tag-pennsylvania","tag-texts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}