The state ag department wants to help people in the ag industry catch people heading into a mental health crisis before it happens.
Wisconsin Farm Center director Jayne Krull says they’re offering special training called Q P R or Question, Persuade, Refer.
“Our training is for farmers to help their fellow farmers or for the agricultural service providers who go to those farms like the milk haulers and the veterinarians and those types of people to get training so they can identify a potential person in crisis.”
“They will be virtual training sessions, and there will be six offered in the months of July through October. We’re offering them at different times and days of the week to accommodate everyone.”
Krull says the QPR classes are just one part of a larger effort to assist farmers going through hard time. “We’ve definitely noticed an increase in calls to the Farm Center. We’ve also opened up a 24/7 hotline recently for them to speak to a mental health counselor.”
For more info or to sign up for a course, go to the Farm Center website.