A former dairy barn, now empty of cows. (Photo: John Oncken)
Tammi Kohlman spent a half-hour talking to 120 agricultural professionals about recognizing the signs of, and helping prevent, suicide.
Her presentation at a meeting in Kiel this week aimed to help those who work with farmers navigate the multi-year crisis the dairy industry and other farm sectors are facing in 2019.
That includes helping producers who might be suicidal.
Kohlman, coordinator of CSI Destination Zero in Fond du Lac, an organization focused on suicide prevention, pointed to the number of people at the meeting as a bright spot as farmers face tough decisions and unknown market and price conditions in the new year.
“It shows people care and that people recognize there is an issue and want to help,” she said at the meeting.
“This is going on the fifth year of very low milk prices, and other commodity prices,” said Scott Gunderson, agriculture agent with Manitowoc County University of Wisconsin-Extension. “It’s taking an economic and emotional toll on people — farmers especially — but also those who work with farmers.”
The event was hosted by extension offices in Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Calumet, Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington counties.
Herd decline
Participants ranged from ag lenders, to dairy equipment providers and dairy nutritionists. Farmers are their clientele, but in some cases, they’re more akin to family.
“Those people take the stress home with them as well,” Gunderson said. “They’ve worked with farmers, in some cases, for generations… Their families feel the stress.”
The economics of milk prices below the break-even point is also squeezing some farmers out of the industry. The October all milk price received by the state’s farmers was $17.60 per hundredweight. Break-even is generally around $18, but varies by operation.
“If you can’t show a profit, in any business, ultimately that business is doomed to not succeed, and I think that’s where we are in some cases,” Gunderson said.
Manitowoc County lost a dozen farms in 2018, a trend he hopes can be reversed in 2019, but many unknowns — including foreign trade and domestic consumption of dairy products — remain question marks.
There were 8,163 milk cow herds in the state in December, down almost 16 percent from 9,711 in 2015, according to state figures. Many of the cows, however, have remained in the state, moving to other operations.
Older farmers are choosing to retire while some farms are leaving, or will leave, the business because it simply doesn’t pay to continue.
Industry impact
What happens on the farm ripples to suppliers and lenders working directly with farmers as they navigate the rocky shoals of staying in business.
Denmark State Bank in Denmark sent its ag lending specialists to the meeting.
“Every farmer that calls maybe has no problem, a small problem, or a big problem, and it’s our job to figure out what size problem they have and what we can do to help,” said David Kappelman, senior vice president/agribusiness manager with the bank. “We share in their success and we feel their failures as well, so we’re not immune to that.”
He said most farms that have left the business have been voluntary, but that might change.
“Now there are going to be more stressed situations where they can’t do anything but file or stop paying,” Kappelman said.
That’s the backdrop of dairy farming in 2019.
Kohlman said asking people if they’re thinking about suicide, taking the time to listen, and showing they care are ways everyone can help producers in crisis. That’s anyone from veterinarians to bankers to the faith community.
“The financial burdens are very real and the uncertainty with everything,” she said. “You might not be mental health professionals, but we all have a role to play in preventing suicide.”
Source: greenbaypressgazette.com
