Is help finally at hand for suicide crisis on America's farms?

Farmers take their lives at a rate higher than any other occupation, and at twice the rate of military veterans. Two bills to help farmers were included in the federal farm billIn early May, Kansas farmer John Blaske is waiting for the rain to stop so he can begin planting. From the front door of his farmhouse, a green yard decorated with bird feeders slopes down to a series of fields where the corn will be planted. Beyond the fields, there's a tree line and a small bridge with a creek running below. It's peaceful here, and mostly quiet, except for the sound of the occasional car or tractor, or the cows calling from the paddock.The waiting makes him restless, he tells me. And it's not just the rain. He's also waiting desperately for the opportunity to talk to fellow agrarians or to legislators about the stress, depression and suicidal ideation he experiences as a farmer. Continue reading...