The 2020 NEAFA Annual Meeting is right around the corner! Taking place February 4th and 5th at the Albany Marriott Hotel in Albany, NY, this year’s theme is managing for our future. With talks taking place with legislators and a wide array of seminars and speakers, there are topics and discussions that will benefit all of our members. The topic “Managing Stress on and off the Farm” will be delivered by Kate Downes, the outreach director at NY FarmNet.
NY FarmNet is based at Cornell University and provides free and confidential counseling for both business and personal needs of farmers and agribusinesses. “We’re best known for our crisis work with farms in financial trouble or farmers dealing with depression, but we do a lot of proactive work as well for farms that are entering a period of transition,” said Downes. “We send both financial and social help teams to farms, because quite often there’s underlying family tension as well when a business is having financial issues. They’re intricately connected, and people don’t always realize that. So, we give people the resources that they need. When we send a team to a farm, they’ll get a numbers person that is familiar with farm business management, and a people person that can work through problems there. It’s why we’re successful in helping farms survive and thrive.”
Downes has worked with NY FarmNet for 3 years now, coordinating the training for NY FarmNet’s consultants as well as giving presentations and tabling at trade shows and events throughout the state. “I was working at Cornell for another program, and I needed a change,” said Downes. “I had lost my uncle to suicide, and looking at what NY FarmNet does, I was like oh my gosh this is so important. Joining this team ended up being a really good fit for me.” At the upcoming annual meeting, Downes is going to focus on stress management and what that means. “I want to talk about stress on the farm, what the signs of stress look like and how to talk about stress with people. My goal is to just give people the language that they may not have so that they can talk about stress and how to ask for help. It’s important to know how to approach that conversation and how to manage stress through different techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness. Farm stress is not an easy thing to talk about, and we need to talk about suicide to destigmatize it. One reason people don’t ask for help is that they’re embarrassed, and I want to let them know they don’t have to be.”
This seminar is the first time that Downes has worked with NEAFA. “I’m really looking forward to connecting with the NEAFA folks because they’re a group that I haven’t personally connected with before,” said Downes. “I want to make sure they know that we’re a reference and a great resource that is free for farmers. NY FarmNet is available 24/7, 365 days a year. And if you call you will always get a real person on the other end - you don’t have to navigate a menu or anything to talk with someone. We all need to work together and support each other. For those that don’t like to call, we also have a contact form on our website that alerts our office.”
The holidays can be a hard and stressful time for many. If you’re struggling, it’s ok and there are people that can help. You can reach NY FarmNet at 1 800-547-3276, or fill out the contact form at www.nyfarmnet.org. The National Suicide Prevention hotline is 1 800-273-8255, and the crisis text line is 741741, just text HOME. For those under 18 in need of help, they can also call the Kids Help Phone at 1 800-668-6868.