Posts by Sharon Purvis
Evaluation: 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…
Read MoreSAgE’s Farm Stress Hotline Is Open, 24/7
The Southern Ag Exchange Network’s farm stress line is fully operational thanks to the hard work of SAgE staff and partners. The USDA funds SAgE through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN), and one of the USDA’s requirements for regional FRSAN efforts is the provision of a farm stress hotline. There are three…
Read MoreFarm and Ranch Mental Health: Stressors, Barriers, and Strategies
Behind the Research: Q & A with Dr. Andy Smolski, lead author SAgE: Can you briefly talk about the purpose of this research brief? Andy Smolski, PhD AS: Our main goal was to be able to provide a summary of our current understanding of farm and ranch stress, in terms of three components. The first…
Read MoreIntroducing SAgE and Director Tesha Humphrey
The Southern Ag Exchange Network – or SAgE – is the southern region of the USDA’s Farm and Ranch Assistance Network (FRSAN), whose goal is to provide “stress assistance programs to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations on a regional basis.” The southern region includes 13 states and two territories,…
Read MoreSchool-Based Agricultural Educators’ Knowledge of Farm Stressors and Suicide Warning Signs
Behind the Research: Q & A with Dr. Chaney Mosley, lead author SAgE: Tell us about your research question that you started with. Chaney Mosley, PhD CM: We had many research questions, but this is the first part that we looked at and analyzed. Essentially, it was, what do ag teachers know about farm stress,…
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