What does it mean to get "Beyond the Weather"?
In agriculture, weather is often the first thing we think about in the morning and our last prayer at night. Weather is a topic that unites us all in our daily experience as humans. We celebrate the moisture together. We complain about the drought together. We endure the highs and the lows together. Weather is a comfortable, safe topic.
But, if we spend an entire conversation talking about the weather, we miss the chance to hear and share the deeper hardships and opportunities a neighbor might be experiencing. Just like when checking heifers in a snowstorm, you have to grin and bear it, too often we grin and bear the internal clouds alone.
Thoughts and feelings are also as universal as the weather. As a community, we need to start talking about those dark places our minds go, so we can eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. If we get beyond the weather and start talking about our mental challenges and strategies, we can help each other be more content, more productive people. And eventually, a strong mind will help us figure out a way to weather the drought and pass along our way of life to the next generation.
Beyond the Weather Movement
Public Awareness Messages on Radio, Television and Social Media:
Rural Mental Health Media Coverage from the Northern Ag Network:
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The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is pleased to announce its plans to prioritize mental health through a comprehensive program aimed at alleviating stress for Montana farmers and ranchers. The …
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A strong majority of farmers/farmworkers say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health, and more than half say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were …
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WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after Congress approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug …
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WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led a bipartisan group of senators to introduce legislation to expand telemental health services in rural areas. The Home-Based Telemental Health …
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BOZEMAN — A group of individuals and organizations from across Montana, led by Montana State University Extension, are collaborating to provide resources and solutions for farmers and ranchers under stress. “We …
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By Andrea Bjornestad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling & Human Development at South Dakota University Farm families are under increased stress this season, challenged by weather, trade …
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A strong majority of farmers and farmworkers say financial issues, farm or business problems and fear of losing the farm impact farmers’ mental health, according to a new national Morning Consult …
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BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced a partnership between the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and North Dakota Farm Management Education to provide credit counseling services through the …
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by Bonnie L. Grant Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain …
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A mental health expert is urging farmers to get help dealing with their stress if they feel helpless and hopeless. Roberta Schweitzer says farming is already stressful – but the …
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A big thank you to the following groups who have stepped up financially to support the movement:
To whom it may concern,
Thanks and KUDOS for starting and having these conversations “Beyond the weather.”
Coming from the healthcare sector, I am very aware of how hard it is to have these conversation yet know just how much they are needed and how important they are.
If there is a way that we at the Montana Health Network can be of assistance in helping to carry this message, partner or collaborate please let me know and we can go from there.
Again, thanks for all that you are doing to bring this into the light. Greatly appreciated.
Make it a great day. Take care and be well.
Ward C. VanWichen, VP of Strategy
Montana Health Network