Recently, I had the opportunity to visit an old friend. As we sat at his kitchen table reminiscing and sharing stories, he mentioned he had talked to a farm equipment dealer who had three tractors on the lot that were all there because of suicides in three different farm families.
We need fewer empty tractor seats
This is becoming a significant issue in rural areas. What can we do to become more connected in our rural communities? How do we reach out to someone we think might be struggling? How do we overcome daily struggles and become more resilient?
Empowering Minds
Through my work with the Kent County Youth Fair and the National Fair Association, I’ve gotten to learn from Ian Hill, an international speaker and expert on rural mental health. He’s developed a training for regular people, to teach them how to notice when someone might be struggling, what to say, how to listen, and what resources are available.
Ian came to a Board of Directors meeting at the Kent County Farm Bureau last month to talk to us about the First Identifier concept. He spoke of farmers as an asset because of their ingenuity, industriousness, self-reliance, but also because they understand how to step up and help their neighbor—his training takes all that and directs it towards our neighbors who may be struggling with stress, depression, and hopelessness.
He said, “We want to catch things before we have to call 911. Once people know what to look for and what kind of conversation to have, they step in. I give them the tools and then get out of their way.”
September 30
Kent County Farm Bureau is bringing Ian to Kent County on Tuesday, September 30 at The Fairway at The Grand Agricultural Center of West Michigan. There is a breakfast for community leaders who work within organizations and systems: sign up here for the breakfast. There is a dinner for rural community members who want to become a First Identifier: sign up here for the dinner.
We hope this leads to fewer empty tractor seats in the months and years to come.