Last updated on July 26th, 2024 at 04:37 pm
Veterans Resources
Veterans have a long history of service to our country through military service. It is a sacrifice of time away from families and friends and sometimes occupation to serve and protect our freedoms. Many find the work in agriculture a form of self-healing, purpose, and self-identity upon return from active duty or training.The ecotherapy of caring for livestock and plants boosts mental health resiliency and overall wellness.
In 2017, the USDA added Producers with Military Service as a special category in the Agriculture Data Census; 370,019 agricultural producers are US veterans, and over 290,000 have spent over 10 years on their farms.
AgriSafe has a unique project dedicated to agricultural producers with military service; it is called the Veteran Farmer project. Because veterans have unique health disparities, we focus on identifying those health disparities and develop programs that assist with achieving health equity and the overall improved health and wellness of veterans.
Similar to the farmer health profile, the veteran working in agriculture may experience hearing loss, respiratory illness (acute or chronic) due to environmental exposures, musculoskeletal disorders, sleep deprivation and disorders, and mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress. The hazards and exposures incurred during active duty then result in a myriad of injuries and illness. Those disparities are likely to compound with the hazards and exposures found in the work of agriculture.
We want to hear from you! Your story could help another farmer or rancher.
AgriSafe’s work in veteran’s health is generously funded in part by Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health.
Veterans Resources
Resource Library
ID | Title | Summary | Link |
---|---|---|---|
11466 | Back Pain Can Be Attributed to Whole-Body Vibration | An article from Successful Farming | |
10569 | Consejos y trucos para dormir mejor | 30 tips in Spanish for getting better sleep at night. English Title: Tips and Tricks for Better Sleep | |
9883 | Improving the Health of Farmer Military Veterans Virtual Think Tank Results | AgriSafe Network conducted a virtual Think Tank on the role that rural healthcare providers could play in the improvement of the health of farmer military veterans. The presentation was marked by polling questions that gauged the attendees opinions and perspectives on the needs and health disparities of farmer military veterans. The results are attached in this guide. | |
8935 | Tips and Tricks for Better Sleep | 30 tips for getting better sleep at night. Spanish Title: Consejos y trucos para dormir mejor | |
17070 | Veteran Farmers: Resources and Beekeeping | episode of Talking Total Farmer Health | |
9371 | Whole Body Vibration Handout | Resource focusing on whole body vibration – GPCAH |
Webinars
Webinar Title | Summary | Link |
---|---|---|
Addressing Military Needs in Agriculture | Veterans have a long history of service to our country through military service and through agriculture. The 2017 USDA report added a new special category of producers: “Producers with Military Service”. This report identified that 370,019 men and women agriculture producers claimed the title of US veteran, with 294,974 of them having spent more than 10 years on their farm. Recently much attention has highlighted veterans’ participation in farming. With this new attention, it is important to understand the unique characteristics and needs of those veterans. Registered nurses will be able address the needs of veteran farmers with a clearer understanding of the veteran experience compounded by the stress of farming and link veteran farmers to importance resources that support and build provider-client relationships and client resilience. | |
Learning When To Put the Work Away: Finding Balance for Veteran Farmers | Often times it is better to hear from someone experiencing the same things, rather than someone telling you they understand what you’re going through. Listen in as Shay Foulk discusses the real challenges and opportunities he has faced as a returning farmer veteran, and how he is learning and living ways to try to shut down. Honest, open, and frank, Shay will discuss topics that may seem uncomfortable to talk about with others in the industry, because they don’t quite understand what that transition is like in today’s environment. If you’re a farmer veteran in agriculture, someone who works with and wants to better understand veterans, or someone simply interested in the challenges and opportunities veterans in agriculture face today, be sure to tune in. | |
Sleepless in America | The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention now identifies sleep deficiency as a public health problem. Sleep affects every moment of our daily lives, from how we think and remember to how our bodies thrive or deteriorate. It determines how we deal with stress, make choices related to safety, and function as human beings. While most health education tends to focus on nutrition and activity, sleep is arguably the single most important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and lack of it causes a significantly reduced quality of life. This presenter proposes that we prioritize sleep and improve daily sleep hygiene to enhance every facet of our well-being. | |
The Healing Capacity of Honey Bees: Veterans Using Beekeeping as a Modality to Achieve Positive Mental Health Outcomes | Veterans deal with a whole host of disabilities, traumas, and transitional issues following military service. Agriculture can serve as a solution to many veteran issues through professional training to support career goals and therapeutic activities to support overall wellness of the veteran and their families. Crosscutting programs like Heroes to Hives seek to address these multifaceted needs through professional training in beekeeping and transpersonal wellness practices within the course that seek to utilize bees and the interaction with them as modalities for positive health outcomes. In this session, we will discuss how Heroes to Hives delivers wellness opportunities and practices to their students. | |
To Care is to Honor: Understanding the Unique Healthcare Needs of Veteran Farmers | Rural veterans are a unique population with a health profile distinguished by a complex multitude of experiences. Come learn more about veteran farmers and how military service culture, gender, deployment experiences, and generational differences impact their total health and wellness. Explore how to better respond to the health care needs of veteran farmers by joining in to this free webinar. |
Websites
- Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Heroes to Hives Program MSU Extension
Page updated: August 2022