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Farm Center Mental Health Vouchers Poised to Exceed 2019 Totals
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 04/24/2020

The Wisconsin Farm Center is close to issuing more farmer mental health counseling vouchers so far in 2020 than what was asked for during each of the past two years. State Interim Ag Secretary Randy Romanski said 82 requests came in from producers who are asking for financial assistance to cover the cost of counseling sessions since January. That's compared to 89 that were applied for in 2018 and 182 during 2019.

"Farmers need to be aware that there's help available by calling our hotline," Romanski said. "Farming is a complicated and demanding business, and it's always helpful to have someone there providing support, suggestions and encouragement."

The mental health funds are administered by the Farm Center, which is a division of the state's agriculture department. He says the majority of recent calls are related to financial stress brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We typically give out about three one-hour-long vouchers per farmer, which can be redeemed throughout a network of specialists around the state," said Farm Center Director Jayne Krull. "In some cases, those same individuals can ask for more vouchers if the need is prevalent."

The 2019-20 state budget allocated $200,000 to be used for programs, such as mental health therapy. Romanski says there's still plenty of funding available for counseling vouchers, as well as other resources the agency offers for those in need.

Farmers and agribusiness owners can contact the Farm Center for more information by calling 800-942-2474 or going online to: https://www.farmcenter.wi.gov


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