Posts by Sharon Purvis
Keystone Community Leaders and Their Role in Farmer-Led Community Organizations
Behind the Research: Q & A with co-author, Dr. Andrew R. Smolski Dr. Andy Smolski, Director of Applied Research Q: Can you tell me what the impetus was for researching these keystone community leaders? AS: Dr. Michael Schulman and I have participated in the Center for Environmental Farming System’s ASPIRE (Agroecology Scholars Program in Research…
Read MoreFamily Farm Members’Stress and Coping Experiences
Behind the Research: Q&A with Dr. Emily Paskewitz Q: Can you talk about why you decided to family farm members in particular? EP: Studying family farm members is something that’s very personal to me. I grew up on a family dairy farm in Minnesota. It was a second-generation farm that my dad took over for…
Read MoreMultidimensional Approach to Tackle Florida’s Agricultural Mental Health Stressors
Behind the Research: Q&A with Marcia Brown, lead author Marcia Brown, University of Florida Q: Can you summarize the purpose of the research that was conducted for this brief? MB: There were two purposes: one, to understand the specific mental health needs of Florida agricultural communities, and second, to increase Extension’s capacity to respond to…
Read MoreSpotlight on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
The Southern region of the Farm and Ranch Assistance Network (FRSAN) includes 13 southern states as well as the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico has a population of 3.22 million people with 7,602 farms on the island, according to the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture, which is the…
Read MoreFarmer Advisory Groups
The Southern Ag Exchange Network relies on a variety of professionals and researchers across the region who bring their expertise in sociology, mental health, and other disciplines to the task of addressing farm and ranch stress. But if those experts are the only ones at the table, a crucial voice is missing from the conversation:…
Read MoreTrainings for Recognizing, Addressing, and Reducing Farm Stress
In the effort to address stressors and reduce stress among farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers, trainings are an important piece of the puzzle— from making use of existing trainings by service providers who work with farmers to creating trainings to be used directly with farm families. When it comes to farm stress, resources and trainings…
Read MoreEvaluation: Measuring What We Do
Dr. Erin King, Evaluation Specialist Because SAgE and the other three Farm and Ranch Stress Network regions are funded by the USDA, regular reporting is required to account for how those funds are used and the effectiveness and impact of the funded projects. For the southern region, that evaluation is conducted by Dr. Erin King,…
Read MoreSouthern Ag Exchange—en Español
Beginning early in 2023, all published SAgE materials have been published simultaneously in Spanish—the current SAgE brochure, research briefs, and the infographics that accompany the briefs. Last fall, the effort began to reproduce the entire website in Spanish. Starting in January of this year, the SAgE webinars have included Spanish interpretation, and Spanish interpretation is…
Read MoreSAgE Resources and Trainings
As part of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, the Southern Ag Exchange Network collects and disseminates resources for the purpose of alleviating farm stress. But that process is far more than simply doing a Google search and putting the results on the website, explains Emily Ellis, SAgE’s Resources and Trainings Director. Emily Ellis,…
Read MoreApplied Research: Exploring the Best Ways to Alleviate Farm Stress
In order for SAgE—and the other three Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network regions—to effectively address farm stress, research is essential to discover the best methods to tackle it. Dr. Andy Smolski, SAgE’s Director of Applied Research, explains why applied research in particular is the type of research that’s needed to find solutions that can…
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