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According to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, the bill’s sponsor to fund the initiative, she said, “The stress faced by ranchers, and agriculture workers are experiencing it severely and taking their own lives.” She added,” Washington is realizing the needs of farmers in these difficult times.”
Many farmers in Ohio commited suicide as they rack up mounting debts, with massive sell-offs (their farms), as climate change affect crops. Aside from that, they are also hit by tariffs and bailouts that worsen their situation.
A new scenario is now recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointing out that farmers are likely to commit suicide, compared to other jobs with a jump in the suicide rate of 40% in 20-years.
Much of the U.S. agriculture is affected by climate change that is causing problems with crops. In the Midwest, climate has affected the production capacity of dairy and crop producers, in most recent years.
Three farmers committed suicide in two-years in Georgetown Ohio, reported by Joshua A. Bickel, of the Columbus Dispatch.
Recently from 2014 to 2018 in nine Midwestern states, about 450 farmers died by their own hands, based on data compiled by the USA TODAY Network and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Although it might be higher than the actual total, without accurate data from affected states, and some portions of it.
All these dead farmers are coincidentally connecting with the doubled calls to Farm Aid (crisis hotline that helps farmers) that helps farmers in trouble to keep their land. According to spokeswoman Jennifer Fahy, an excess of a thousand calls was received in 2018.
Despite the $28 billion of federal aid given by President Trump on a two-year span, it did not make up for the China trade war, according to sources close to farmers. This is just one of the instances that the U.S. administration failed.
Also read: U.S. Administration Limits China's Access to Chip Technology
Congress approved the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Act during 2008, which will give behavioral health programs to agricultural workers, through grants in states.
Unfortunately, there were no funds for the legislation till a year ago. After one decade, there are already numerous suicides by farmers as a result.
Despite the first four pilot programs getting approval, there is no funding yet and no money sent to those in need of this farmer assistance programs.
To get a better view, reporters interviewed 12 farmers, mental health professionals, and other experts across the Midwest to know what is crucial now.
Experts say that economic events are not the only cause for farmers problems. Stress that is felt without any resolution will become depression, and these can push the victim to commit suicide.
Ted Matthews, a psychologist working with farm families in Minnesota, said that the cause needs to be identified. One of the reason is commodity prices but there are more than one cause for it.
After a family closed their dairy farm, it helped relieve stress related to the dairy. All of her siblings help on the farm, even with full-time jobs.
Her father had different problems which stressed him, said Utter (one of the respondents) when the farm closed down. Her father was Ohio Farm Bureau's director for a four-county region including Georgetown
When farms get sold off, farmers in Ohio are opting for 'suicide' because of the stress and perceived 'failure'.
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