Lawmakers consider permanent funding for helpline for farmers, loggers and fishermen
Farmers and others who work the land and sea have higher suicide rates than those in other professions. (Photo by Steve Smith/Tetra Images via Getty Images)
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know who works in agriculture, forestry or the fishing industry is struggling, call or text 833-897-2474 for help. Help is also available to everyone through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
For more than a year, Oregonians involved in agriculture, forestry and the fishing industry have had a resource to help them when they're in a mental health crisis.
The AgriStress helpline, which launched in Oregon in September 2023, is geared toward people in those industries, offering a safe option to those who ordinarily might not seek help.
'The pull-yourself-up-by-your-boot-strings mentality often prevents our community members from seeking help, making resources like the AgriStress helpline vital to breaking that cycle as imperative,' Republican state Rep. Bobby Levy of Echo, a longtime farmer and rancher, said during a recent legislative meeting on a bill to keep the line operating in perpetuity.
Senate Bill 779, sponsored by Levy and a fellow Republican rancher, state Sen. Todd Nash of Enterprise, would allocate $2 million to a helpline endowment, the Rural Mental Health Fund, which is housed in the Oregon State University Foundation. The endowment earns 4% interest, enough to keep the line operating as long as it was needed, supporters said.
Since its launch, specialists have handled more than 50 calls and texts from farmers, fishermen, loggers and foresters in 28 Oregon counties. Though that might not seem like much, Allison Myers, an OSU extension associate dean and lead supporter of the line, said studies show that every suicide can affect 130 people and can be devastating in small communities. And each call can prevent that from happening.
'Any number of calls is a good number,' Myers said in written testimony.
The service is available 24/7, with interpreters available for 160 languages, and every caller receives a follow-up call the next day. That service costs about $78,000 a year, and Oregon currently has the funding to keep it going for about a year and a half.
Oregon has long had higher suicide rates than the U.S. average. In its 2024 report, Mental Health America, which ranks states, put Oregon last in terms of the prevalence of mental health issues. The ranking showed the state has improved in access to care — it was ranked sixth — but it can still be difficult for people to get help.
Studies show that crisis lines like 988 are effective in helping people feel less depressed, overwhelmed and suicidal. They're also been shown to give people hope. While call takers for 988 and other crisis lines are trained, they don't receive training in the culture, demands and potential stress factors of working in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, as AgriStress specialists are.
The livelihoods of professionals in these industries are often affected by outside factors like the weather or commodity prices, and the work can be lonely and grueling. And that can lead to people taking their lives. Oregon Health Authority data shows that people in these industries have the highest suicide rates of any profession.
'This is more than just the legislation,' Levy said during the Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Committee hearing. 'It's a lifeline for the people who feed, clothe and build our state.'
The service was developed and launched in 2022 by the AgriSafe Network, a nonprofit that supports health and safety preventive services for farmers and their families. The following year, Oregon signed on with an allocation of $300,000 approved by lawmakers to launch the service in the state.
Oregon was the seventh state to use the service, which is now available in 10 states besides Oregon — Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
The bill has the support of more than a dozen industry groups, including the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Wine Council and the Oregon Association of Nurseries. It's also backed by Weyerhaeuser, the timber company; the Oregon Water Resources Congress; and the Eastern Oregon Counties Association.
If approved by the early childhood committee, the bill will move to Ways and Means to compete with other bills that need funding.
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