It was with great interest that I read the article by Dave Williams titled “Lawmakers recommend ‘multi-faceted approach’ to preserving Georgia farmland” in the December 2nd edition of James Magazine Online.
As a member of a family that has been farming this same piece of land for over 130 years AND a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), I am acutely aware of the challenges facing our farming community. I agree with all the concerns that the (legislative) committee raised but was disappointed to see no reference to the agricultural community’s access to mental health care.
The National Farmers Union estimates the suicide rate of agricultural workers to be five times that of the average citizen. The National Rural Health Association puts that number at 3.5 times the general population. Either way, any number is way too high.
While four generations of my family live on our family farm, there is no generation younger than myself preparing to take over our very small operation of hay sales and Boer goat production due to the many factors addressed in the committee’s report. They simply cannot raise a family on our farm returns. Farmland that once produced cotton, peanuts, soybeans and corn is now relegated to livestock grazing.
As president-elect of the Licensed Professional Counselor’s Association of Georgia (LPCA) for 2024-2025 and upcoming president for 2025-2026, I have made rural mental health care a key issue. The LPCA is aware of the challenges facing our agriculture and rural communities and is doing something to help counselors prepare to work with these populations.
LPCA has made it a priority to reach these families and will be hosting a presentation from Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper during LPC week this coming January. We will be at the Capitol on January 29 to address our concerns regarding access to mental health care for all populations with our legislators.
As the 2025 convention chair, I have requested presentations on counseling rural and agricultural communities— specifically with telehealth. Telehealth allows non-rural providers to provide care that can be scheduled around the farmer’s availability. LPCA is also sponsoring a free 3.5-hour CE opportunity called FarmResponse that was developed by AgriSafe. AgriSafe is a non-profit organization that “represents health professionals and educators who strive to reduce health disparities found among the agricultural community.”
I appreciate the committee’s efforts to support farming families of all size farms and look forward, with the LPCA, to helping families and the younger generations not only to take up farming but to thrive as our future farmers. And as trite as it might sound, I urge everyone who reads this to look at their next meal and ask themselves what on my plate wasn’t produced by a farmer?
Dr. Tracey Pace is a longtime Licensed Professional Counselor and president-elect of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia
