NEWTON, Wis. — It was a hot sunny day as Kathy Salm pulled out of her driveway headed to a farm just a few miles away in rural Manitowoc County.
She was making a special trip to meet one of the farm operators.
“What we do is put together a little snack bag for the people who are nominated and show them that we care about them and hope they have a safe and healthy harvest,” Salm said.
A bag of snacks and the visit are part of the Farm Neighbors Care Campaign from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and other farming-related organizations around the country.
Salm wasn’t just bringing a bag of treats, but also a friendly face and listening ear to Soaring Eagle Dairy in the Town of Centerville.
The campaign is built around farmers showing appreciation for the work of other farmers, as they work through what can be stressful times.
It’s also an opportunity to check in on the wellbeing of other farmers.
Farming can be physically and mentally demanding work. It can also be a very isolating profession. From weather changes to fluctuating market prices and crop conditions, farmers face a lot of different stressors throughout the year.
New research shows it’s taking a toll. Farmers face a higher likelihood of suicide than the general public, according to the National Rural Health Association. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that farmers are twice as likely as people in other professions to die by suicide.
Dairy farmer Julie Maurer was selected as the recipient of the program in Manitowoc County.
“It’s really humbling to have someone call me out specifically when I’m one of many, many committed and incredible dairy farmers in the state,” she said.
Maurer works with six other members of her family on the farm.
“I think we took half a day off on Mother’s Day to kick back, relax and enjoy the family,” she said. “Other than that, it was some long days of tilling the soil, picking the rocks, planting the seeds. As soon as we finished planting, we went right into first-crop hay harvest. That was about four days of pretty busy work too.”
Pulling out of the farm, Salm said there’s a sense of satisfaction in just letting other farmers know someone is thinking about them.
“Farmer to farmer, you just appreciate everything you hear. Even, ‘You did a good job doing that work the other day,’ or ‘Your land looks really nice.’ That’s what farmers do, they compliment each other,” she said. “That’s what we need to hear, especially in these days when there’s so much suicide among farmers. I think it is all because of the stress and thinking nobody cares.”