News
Survey says increased rural isolation is causing strain
Missouri Farm Bureau says many farmers are having to deal with increased isolation leading to more cases of depression because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bureau’s Eric Bohl said without social events like weddings and graduations, many farmers have been cut off from their communities.
“There’re so many people feeling more isolated than normal and farming’s already an inherently isolated profession,” he said.
He tells Brownfield without social interactions; rural community members should reach out to friends and neighbors with a phone call or over social media.
“Really the point is to let people know that there’s someone else out there that’s thinking about them and that could lend a lending hand if they needed something, or an ear to bend if they wanted to talk to someone about what’s going on, on their farm,” Bohl said.
In response to a Missouri Farm Bureau survey of nearly 400 farmers and others, Bohl said he was surprised to see how widespread the effects of isolation have been.
Eric Bohl Interview
