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SOWING THE SEEDS OF HOPE
by Kathy Schmitt

Hope can come in a variety of ways. I want to tell you about two of them. The Seeds of Hope Project in Wisconsin reaches out to farmers and farm families. Weekend Getaways have been one of the positive ways in which the project seeks to help.

Farming can be stressful and breaks from the day-to-day rigor are rare. Farm Weekend Getaways give participants a chance to get away from the stress and the strain for awhile. the getaways are created for small groups of farm couples, farm women, or farm men and are held during the fall and winter months. In addition to providing a weekend respite from farm labor, the getaways are designed to help participants: Communicate more effectively as couples and with their children. Deal more effectively with stress. Plan for the future as a couple/family. Learn about available resources. Create sustainable networks.

The Sowing the Seeds of Hope Counseling Program offers free, short-term counseling services for farm families and agricultural workers. These economic times can cause a lot of stress for families. Add farming to the mix, with its unique brand of complications, and the stress can become overwhelming.

Sometimes the warning signs are easily identifiable; loss of sleep or appetite, irritability, trouble making decisions, headaches, and back pain, for example. Sometimes the warning signs are harder to see, particularly with men. men's mental health issues are often masked by working excessively long hours, by isolating themselves, or by increased use of alcohol or drugs. when you recognize these signs of stress, or other possible mental health problems, you need to tell someone about your symptoms. Participants can receive up to 5 counseling vouchers to be used at any of the participating counseling agencies. there are about 140 locations serving the program. Services are confidential. For more information, contact the Wisconsin Farm Center at 1-800-942-2474.