There is something that happens when a child buries her face in the warm fur of a newborn calf or feels the rumble of a purring cat settle against her chest.
Colleen Stegenga
Columnist
About
Colleen Stegenga is a licensed social worker in private practice with her own business, Embracing Change Counseling Services, specializing in mental health support for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural families. Reach her at colleen@embracingchangecs.com or visit www.embracingchangecs.com.
"Growing up, few things beat the excitement of company coming to visit. Farm life can be isolating, and it was no different when I was a kid, but those visits were the cure."
There's a particular feeling that shows up on the farm every year around this time. The school supply lists start circulating, the light chang…
"This work is preparation, and preparation is one of the most powerful tools we have for our mental health."
"When kids grow up around the operation, when they're included, asked questions and given small jobs as they're able, they build something that can't be manufactured later: a felt sense of belonging to the place."
The farm bill passed by the House includes a study of mental health services available to farmers, ranchers and agricultural professionals. Our mental health columnist explains what that means in practical terms.
Nobody puts it in the vows. There is no line that says “I promise to love you through harvest season, through the years the rain does not come ...” But for farm couples across rural America, that is exactly what the vows mean.
There is a piece of ground in eastern South Dakota that is slowly becoming something I've been dreaming about for a long time.