Illinois farmer mental health program rebrands as FARM SOS

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CARBONDALE, Ill., (KBSI) – A statewide program providing mental health support to Illinois farmers and their families has a new name.

The Farm Family Resource Initiative has rebranded as FARM SOS after seven years of providing confidential mental health resources to agricultural communities.

The program began in 2019 as a pilot serving six Illinois counties and has since expanded to all 102 counties. It is a partnership among the SIU School of Medicine, Illinois Department of Agriculture and Illinois Department of Human Services.

FARM SOS Program Coordinator Karen Stallman said the program’s growth helped drive the decision to rebrand.

“So now we are in all 102 counties in Illinois,” Stallman said. “So we thought it was needed to kind of do a refresh, to do a rebrand, to indicate that it’s no longer a pilot project.”

According to program officials, the new FARM SOS name is intended to make the service and its purpose easier for farm families to recognize. The rebranding also includes a new logo and website.

“While our name is changing, our commitment to farm families remains the same,” Stallman said. “FARM SOS clearly communicates that we’re here to provide support, connect people with resources and ensure no farm family has to face a crisis alone.”

Stallman said some of the biggest stressors farmers face are also largely outside of their control.

She recalled a recent conversation with a farmer who told her weather and markets are two of the biggest sources of stress in agriculture. Stallman said those pressures can be compounded by input costs, equipment expenses and questions about farm succession.

“Whenever we talk about the stressors and the many stressors that are unique to agriculture, I call it kind of sometimes the chronic drip, drip, drip of stress, little things that can continue to pile up,” Stallman said. “And sometimes that creates anxiety, sometimes that creates depression.”

Stallman, who also farms with her husband in Randolph County, said people in agriculture are often accustomed to solving problems themselves.

“As farmers, we’re really a stoic group,” Stallman said.

She compared seeking mental health support to calling a professional when a problem on the farm cannot be handled alone.

“We are fix-it people. If something is broken, then we fix it,” Stallman said. “But we have to know that if there are things that we cannot do ourselves, things that we cannot handle ourselves, it’s okay to seek help.”

Stallman said farmers routinely bring in professionals when an animal needs veterinary care or when another problem requires expertise, and mental health should be treated the same way.

“It is okay to reach out for help,” Stallman said. “If we have a cow that is down and we see that we cannot treat that animal, then we don’t hesitate to call in a professional, to call in a veterinarian. So it’s no different than if we break our arm or if we’re struggling with stress. It’s okay to call in a professional.”

Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said farmers face an elevated risk of suicide and that stigma surrounding mental health treatment can prevent people in agricultural communities from seeking help.

Stallman said FARM SOS is designed to give farmers and their families a place to turn when those pressures begin to build.

“We have mental health professionals, we have a 24/7 helpline. We have all kinds of resources for families,” Stallman said. “Farmers do a good job of taking care of their crops. They take care of their livestock, of taking care of their equipment. But often farmers don’t do a good job of taking care of themselves.”

FARM SOS is available at no cost to Illinois farm families 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The confidential helpline connects farmers and others in the agriculture industry with trained professionals who can provide emotional support and connect callers with additional resources.

Stallman said confidentiality and cost are two important parts of making those resources easier to use.

“There’s a couple things to keep in mind. I mentioned being able to remain confidential. That’s huge, especially when somebody picks up the phone to call and talk to a stranger,” Stallman said. “And the other thing that I want to mention is thanks to the funding that we received through the Illinois Department of Human Services and the state of Illinois, there’s no cost to access any of our services.”

The program also offers up to six no-cost telehealth counseling sessions for individuals, couples or groups.

More information about FARM SOS and its services is available at [ILFARMSOS.COM](https://www.siumed.edu/farm).

More information about FARM SOS and its services is available at ILFARMSOS.COM.