Remembering a Young Farmer: From Loss to Action with the Washington Young Farmers Coalition
Young Farmers PodcastShow Notes
Warning: This episode deals with topics surrounding suicide, and may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Suicide rates among farmers and farm workers are higher than in any other occupation in the United States. We start this two-part series with the story of Justin McClane, a founding member of the Washington chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition, who we lost to suicide in 2017. Our hope is that by telling Justin's story, and sharing the powerful organizing his community of young farmers launched in response to his death, we can contribute to the effort to break down the stigma around mental and behavioral health, inspire policy change, and grow support for programs addressing the farmer mental health crisis in this country.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273-TALK (8255). You can also speak with someone directly at the Farm Aid Hotline at (800) FARM-AID (327-6243. For further resources, please visit https://farmcrisis.nfu.org/.
More from Young Farmers Podcast
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Join us for a special series of The Farm Report in collaboration with Heritage Radio Network that's all about The Farm Bill. Tune in to hear from farmers, policymakers, organizers, and food advocates about all the ways the farm bill directly impacts our lives - whether we realize it or not. We’ll break down farm policy and talk to young farmers about what hangs in the balance for them as another Farm Bill gets made. Join our coalition to shift power and change policy for the next generation of growers and land stewards. The future of good food depends on it.
This is the third episode of our 2023 Farm Bill series, digging into the farm policy that will affect the next generation of farmers and ranchers.