The North Carolina Agromedicine Institute received a more than $292,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to support farm communities impacted by Helene.
The institute's three partner universities, N.C. State University, East Carolina University and N.C. A&T State University, will use the grant to expand mental health services at the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN-NC).
Alyssa Spence, the interim director of FRSAN-NC, says this grant is sorely needed by North Carolina farmers who are trying to get back on their feet after Helene.
“A lot of people don't realize all of the stress that is associated with farming in the best of times, let alone following up with a natural disaster,” she said.
Using the grant funds, FRSAN-NC plans to enhance the organization’s 24/7 farm helpline, a major resource for farmers and agriculture workers who need immediate assistance with mental health, farming, finance advice and more.
Spence said the helpline is already extensive, however, there’s been an increase in farmers calling with emotional needs — something FRSAN-NC employees don’t specialize in.
“What we started to see on the helpline was that people would call in and they would need emotional support,” she said. “While our staff is trained on QPR (a suicide prevention training program) and suicide prevention, that’s not our expertise.”
To offer more emotional support on the helpline at 844-325-3276, the network is partnering with North Carolina’s statewide mental health helpline.
FRSAN-NC also plans to use the grant funds to offer free behavioral health and mental health counseling by licensed professionals, who have completed agriculture competency training.
“Our counselors, the ones that we recommend through that program, they understand farming,” said Spence. “They have some cultural understanding of farmers are hardworking.”
Additionally, the grant will help FRSAN-NC update their farmer stress directory, provide free psychological first-aid training and create project impact reports.
Spence said the overall goal of this grant is to give farmers and farm communities the resources to get through this trying time with a clear mind.
“Of course we can't control the weather. We can't control tariffs. We can't control the market, and what commodities will bring, and all of those factors but we can help farmers deal with that stress so that they can better face all of those things,” she said.
