Farmers in the First State will have a better understanding of the mental and physical health options that are available to them countrywide thanks to a new outreach campaign by the Delaware Farm Bureau. The American Farm Bureau Federation's Strategic Action Fund contributed to the new marketing initiative, "Healthy Farmers Grow Healthy Crops. Resources will be made accessible via the campaign when mental health month gets underway in May, providing members with necessary resources while enlightening them about different mental and physical health options. DEFB interns will support the success of this program all summer long. According to marketing coordinator Mikayla Paul, DEFB will also promote preventive care, which is essential to guaranteeing farmers and their families have a high quality of life and are in the correct frame of mind. Under her guidance, DEFB's summer interns in 2023 will be in charge of creating marketing materials for mental health and preventive care services that will be offered at all events, at the state office, and on social media. In the next months, DEFB will also strive to work with Life Line Screening, a member benefit partner, to provide members potentially life-saving preventive testing. As American agriculture develops, AFBF has prioritized providing better health care for farmers. The group developed the Farm State of Mind website recently to assist farmers in locating regional and global resources to meet their requirements. Resources, such as those that DEFB may soon make available, include advice on self-care, how to talk to a loved one about mental health, sources for therapy, details about farming, and more. DEFB will join a large number of state and local Farm Bureaus that have followed the national organization's example and incorporated regional resources for mental health on their websites.

"It's really nice that we get to start this campaign as Mental Health Month begins. We've all been touched by mental health related situations in the past. The COVID-19 pandemic only made it worse with isolation and business stress, so now, as that winds down, I think it's great that we have the opportunity to pick our farmers back up and tell them we've got your back," DEFB Executive Director Don Clifton said.

Upcoming life line screenings include:

• Thursday, May 4 at Ross Station Event Center, Seaford
• Friday, May 5 at Asbury United Methodist Church, Smyrna
• Monday, May 8 at Minquadale Fire Company Memorial Hall, New Castle
• Wednesday, May 17 at Camden-Wyoming Moose Lodge 203, Camden Wyoming
• Thursday, May 18 at Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Magnolia
• Wednesday, June 7 at Marshallton United Methodist Church, Wilmington
• Monday, June 12 at Conley s United Methodist Church, Lewes
• Wednesday, June 21 at Avenue United Methodist Church, Milford
• Wednesday, June 28 at Word of Life Christian Center, Newark
• Thursday, June 29 at Talleyville Fire Co, Wilmington

Visit American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm State of Mind website online at www.fb.org/initiative/farm-state-of-mind. Visit the Delaware Farm Bureau at www.defb.org.