From healthcare providers and nonprofits to county officials and faith leaders, the 2025 Farm Stress Summit welcomes all who want to further their efforts in combatting farm stress within our communities. Our goal is to learn from each other, connect communities with existing resources and establish partnerships across organizations.
UGA Extension is proud to partner with the following organizations to make this event possible:
- Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
- Georgia Farm Bureau
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- University of Georgia School of Social Work
- Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
- University of Georgia Institute on Human Development and Disability
- Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center
- Georgia Foundation for Agriculture
- Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance
As a bonus, attendance of this event offers up to 2.5 CEU contact hours for social workers.
Speakers
Speakers will focus on farm family health and wellness, including strategies for enhancing collaborations at the local, state and national level to cohesively support farm families as well as proven and emerging practices for combatting farmer mental health challenges.
Breakout sessions will focus on identifying and leveraging existing community resources and natural supports as well as developing a list of relevant needs.
Keynote Speaker
Connie Baptiste, Owner of Hunter Family Farm and 2023 Woman Veteran of the Year
Featured Speakers
- Mike Toews, Associate Dean, UGA Extension
- Allisen Penn, Associate Dean for Extension & Outreach, UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences
- Tyler Harper, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Kevin Tanner, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
- Venessa Sims, Director of Outreach Law Enforcement and Emergency Management, Georgia Department of Agriculture
- John McElveen, Director, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance
- Jean Sumner, Dean, Mercer School of Medicine
Afternoon Workshops
Supporting Best Practices in Suicide Prevention and Postvention
Workshop leaders:
- Jennifer Dunn, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, DBHDD
- Bruce Redmond, Owner, Shiloh Farms
COMET Training: Peer-led group discussion and implementation
Workshop leader:
- Stephanie Basey, Freelance Rural Health Researcher
Panels and Tabletops
Advocacy Panel
Panel Moderator: Anna Scheyett, Professor, Agricultural Leadership Education and Communication, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Jeff Breedlove, Strategic Policy Advisor, Georgia Council for Recovery and the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association
- Laurisa Guerrero, Executive Director, Georgia Council for Recovery
- Kim Jones, Executive Director, Georgia NAMI
Post-Disaster Recovery Group Tabletop
Tabletop facilitator: Diane Bales, Professor, Extension Human Development Specialist, and Child Life Program Director, UGA
Group facilitators:
- Venessa Sims, Director of Outreach Law Enforcement and Emergency Management, Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Kalie Burke, Disaster Mental Health Coordinator, DBHDD
- Jeannette David, Clinical Assistant Professor, UGA Institute for Disaster Management
- Travis Mountain, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, UGA
- Veronica McClendon, CEO, McClendon Law and Consulting
Marketing Materials
Interested in sharing this event with your network? Use our social media kit.
Previous Events
2023 Event Recap
Slide Presentations
- Mind Your Melon (PDF) - Marshal Sewell
- Farmers' Mental Well-Being: Stressors & Coping Mechanisms (PDF) - Stephanie Basey
- Farm Stress in Georgia (PDF) - Christina Proctor
- Moving Forward: Who, Where, How? (PDF) - Maria Bowie, on behalf of Anna Scheyett
Recorded Presentations
Support Rural Farmers: 2023 Farm Stress Summit
March 20, 2023 - Macon, Georgia
From healthcare providers and nonprofits to county officials and faith leaders, the 2023 Farm Stress Summit welcomes all who want to further their efforts in combatting farm stress within our communities. Our goal is to learn from each other, connect communities with existing resources and establish partnerships across organizations.
As a bonus, attendance of this event offers up to 2.5 CEU contact hours for social workers.
Register online before March 17.
Speakers
Speakers will focus on farm family health and wellness, including strategies for enhancing collaborations at the local, state and national level to cohesively support farm families as well as proven and emerging practices for combatting farmer mental health challenges.
Breakout sessions will focus on identifying and leveraging existing community resources and natural supports as well as developing a list of relevant needs.
Download the speaker bios or read about them below:
Keynote Speaker
Marshal Sewell, Strategic Account & Partnerships Manager, Bayer Crop Science; Founder, 'Mind Your Melon'
Featured Speakers
- Kevin Tanner, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
- Stephanie Basey, PhD Student, Rural Health Sciences Program, Mercer University School of Medicine
- Tyler Harper, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Anna Scheyett, Professor, University of Georgia School of Social Work
- Jennifer Dunn, Southwest Area Health Agent, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- Christina Proctor, Health Promotion & Behavior Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Georgia College of Public Health
Marketing Materials
Interested in sharing this event with your network? Check out the social media kit and download the promotional flyer.
2022 Event Recap
Slide Presentations
Downloads available in PDF format:
- Stronger Together - Ray Atkinson
- Farmers' Mental Wellbeing in Georgia: A Statewide Survey - Stephanie Basey and Anne Montgomery
- Three Studies and What They Tell Us About the Way Forward - Anna Scheyett
Questions? Contact conference co-chairs Lucy Ray and Maria Bowie.
This work is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network- Georgia Farmer Healthy Mindset [grant no. 13395431/2021-09304/ project ascension no 2021-70035575], from the US Department of Agriculture, National Institute on of Food and Agriculture. Any opinion, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and short not be construed to represent any official (USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy).
Event Details
Date and Time
March 13, 2025
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location
Georgia Southern Center for Professional Excellence
10449 US Hwy 301 S
Statesboro, GA 30458-3240
Topics
- Farm stressors
- Tools available for coping
- Strategies for positive collaboration