Vermont presenters describe FarmFirst outreach, crisis lines and funding squeeze for farmer mental health

FarmFirst and InvestEAP representatives told a committee that an outreach program serving Vermont farmers provides rapid access to licensed clinicians, peer support and training designed for agricultural communities, but that funding constraints have reduced outreach capacity.

Angela Shea, a social worker with FarmFirst, said the program offers a hotline, counseling, peer support and web resources and is designed to reach farmers and family members "where they're at" by phone, text or Zoom. Shea said the program serves about "anywhere from 80 to a 100 a year" and stressed that brief, timely contacts can connect farmers to longer-term care.

"We know that suicidality is three times higher in our ag populations," Shea said, describing outreach, psychoeducation and community events as key methods to reduce stigma and identify people in crisis. She described a recent community response after a local suicide in which FarmFirst partnered with a volunteer fire department and a host farmer to bring neighbors together for dinner, conversation about warning signs, and connections to resources.

Mark Adams, director of InvestEAP, said InvestEAP covers roughly 300 accounts and about 160,000 covered lives and that the program has statutory authority to charge some businesses for EAP services (citation not specified). Adams said InvestEAP and FarmFirst have relied on grants over time but that recent changes in grant availability and the economy have reduced capacity for marketing and outreach.

"We used to do porch forums and marketing campaigns," Adams said, but "that has slowed down a lot" because resources are limited. He described a prior FarmFirst coordinator role that linked farmers to practical help—feed, legal referrals and succession planning—and said those navigation services remain an important part of preventing crises.

Committee members asked whether FarmFirst was seeking a line-item appropriation; Adams said no and that ongoing funding issues are handled by the commissioner (not specified in the transcript). Members also asked what an ordinary resident should say when trying to help a farmer; Adams and Shea said they train ag service providers and co-ops in conversational approaches and offer shortened, tailored Mental Health First Aid to help community members refer people to services.

A committee member, identified in the transcript as Jerry Ingalls, asked whether a suicide reference on a state agency site links to FarmFirst. Adams and Shea said the national suicide-prevention number, 988, is prominent and that FarmFirst maintains a toll-free intake line routed to clinicians 24/7; callers receive a brief assessment and the program has a mechanism to request in-person help through DSP when someone on a farm is at acute risk.

Shea and Adams urged continued local partnerships and word-of-mouth outreach, noting that farmers often do not seek help and that trusted local contacts are key to engagement. The presenters described participation in a USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network pilot that helped develop their peer-support model but did not provide full grant details.

The committee offered thanks to the presenters and signaled appreciation; there was no formal vote or appropriation action during the session.