TOOLS FOR TODAY'S FARMER PODCAST
Extension Education
Abigail Heidenreich
Extension Educator - Agriculture and Natural Resources
Purdue Extension
Princeton
Abstract
Farm Stress is an issue that is quickly becoming a priority effort by Extension Professionals in many states. A recent American Farm Bureau Federation poll revealed that 82% of farmers/farmworkers say mental health is an important issue to them and/or their family (2019). In Indiana, the Purdue Extension Farm Stress Team has formed to create, deliver and aid mental health programming for farmers and rural communities across the state. A subcommittee of this group focuses on spreading mental health awareness through a podcast. The Tools for Today’s Farmer Podcast has been on the air since September of 2020, with a new episode published on a biweekly basis. Podcasts have been identified as innovative and portable methods for educating listeners, which is ideal for farmer audiences who tend to multitask or spend time driving equipment (Rajic 2013). The Tools for Today’s Farmer Podcast team has crafted a format for content that is unique and designed to create empathy as well as forge new connections between members of the agriculture community. Through interviews with agricultural leaders, public figures and local farmers, the team is able to emphasize positive stress coping strategies to farmers. Initiating conversations on sensitive topics that are often stigmatized by media, community members and others provide opportunities for the farmer audience to relate emotionally with interviewees without requiring active sharing of personal experiences by the audience (AFBF 2019). To date, 11 podcast episodes have been published with 431 plays as of March 2021.
American farm Bureau Federation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.fb.org/files/AFBF_Rural_Stress_Polling_Presentation_04.16.19.pdf
Rajiccaca, S. (2013, September 27). Educational Use of Podcast. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/EDUCATIONAL-USE-OF-PODCAST-rajiccaca/ccfd80e0cffb1870065dd5347088ff9cd9ce340a
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: A. Heidenreich, Hays Andrew, Dillhoff Rachel
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Heidenreich, A. Extension Educator - Agriculture & Natural Resources, Purdue Extension, Indiana, 47454-1596
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Andrew, H. Extension Educator - Health & Human Sciences, Purdue Extension, Indiana, 47670
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Rachel, D. Extension Educator - Health & Human Sciences, Purdue Extension, Indiana, 46733