Extension > Family > Families in Tough Times > Farm Families
Farm Families
Do you and your family own a farm and/or work in agriculture?
These tough times have been especially hard on farm families. The following resources are here to help.
Immediate Assistance | Health and Stress | Relationships and Communication | Resource Management | Farm-related Disaster | Other Agriculture
Featured Resource
Supporting Agriculture Workers from Mexico
Short videos, activities, and discussion guide for agriculture-sector employers.
Immediate Assistance
The following resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for farm families.
- Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network(MFAN) — Minnesota Department of Agriculture — Hotline staffed by veteran financial analysts to help producers facing crises. Includes referral services for lenders, farm business management instructors, and extension educators as well as legal advice and crisis counseling. Call them at 1-877-898-MFAN (6326) or email them your concerns. See their website for more information.
- Crisis Connection — Crisis counseling hotline for anyone calling from a Minnesota area code. Can answer questions that specifically relate to stress experienced by those in agriculture. Call them with your concerns at 1-866-379-6363 or visit their website for more information.
Health and Stress
- Dealing with Stress: A Web-based Educational Series — Sowing the Seeds of Hope Coalition and partners including University of Minnesota Extension — Online educational series that helps those who work in agriculture understand stress and its effects on families and the business.
- What is Stress — University of Minnesota Extension — Quick guide reviews types of stress, sources of stress, and tips for managing stress.
- Controlling Stress — Getting Through Tough Times, University of Minnesota Extension — Tips for taking care of yourself and knowing when to seek help.
- Parental Stress — University of Minnesota Extension — Reviews the interacting factors in family stress and the effects of stress on parents.
- Crisis Connection — Crisis hotline for anyone calling from a Minnesota area code. Can answer questions that specifically relate to stress experienced by those in agriculture. Call 1-866-379-6363
- Eat Healthy for Less — University of Minnesota Extension — Tips, worksheets, videos, and more to help your family stay healthy during challenging economic times.
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Relationships and Communication
- Supporting Agriculture Workers from Mexico: Balancing Work and Family Demands — University of Minnesota Extension and Department of Family Social Science — Short videos, lesson plans, and activities help agriculture-sector employers better understand and support their workers from Spanish-speaking countries.
- Identifying Sources of Support and Friendship — Getting Through Tough Times, University of Minnesota Extension — Identifying your support system will help you get through a crisis.
- Family Problem Solving — University of Minnesota Extension — Tips for talking through issues and/or conflicts as a family.
- Communicating Under Pressure — Getting Through Tough Times, University of Minnesota Extension — Tips for speaking carefully and listening attentively, even when you’re stressed.
- Dealing with Your Own Anger — University of Minnesota Extension — Anger is a normal reaction. It's also an emotion many parents don't know how to deal with when it comes to their children.
- Tips for Talking with Your Child's Other Parent — University of Minnesota Extension — A short online presentation that gives parents ways to communicate that help them overcome their personal differences. The related "I Message" cards help support one of the suggested strategies.
- Create a Parenting Plan — University of Minnesota Extension — Planning worksheet to help parents plan for parenting their children while they are living in two households.
- Strategies for Helping Teens Assume More Responsibility — University of Minnesota Extension — Tips for getting teens to take on more responsibility.
- Public Psychologist Finder — Minnesota Psychological Association — Locate a public psychologist in Minnesota for relationship counseling, substance abuse recovery, and more.
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Resource Management
- Adjusting to Suddenly Reduced Income — University of Minnesota Extension — Guide to help you through the emotional and financial aspects of suddenly reduced income.
- Ag in Uncertain Times — Western Extension Committee — Website that helps producers and others meet challenges of uncertain times. Webinars, resources, and more.
- Pork Producer Resources for Difficult Financial Times — University of Minnesota Extension — Provides resources that were specifically designed to help pork producers during difficult financial times.
- Getting Through Tough Times — Sharon Danes, University of Minnesota Department of Family Social Science and Extension — Fact sheets that cover getting help, making financial decisions with less, dealing with stress, figuring out how to do more with less, and children and tough times.
- Farm Legal Series — Phillip L. Kunkel, Jeffrey A. Peterson, Jessica A. Mitchell from the University of Minnesota Extension — Online series about legal contracts related to farm ownership. Information on bankruptcy, farm leases, foreclosures, and more.
- Money Mechanics— Communication — Iowa State University Extension — Provides guidelines to have open communication about family finances, to help lead to better decisions about finances.
- How to Talk to Your Creditors When You Can’t Pay Your Bills — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences — Tips for being proactive with creditors when you can’t pay your bills.
- Managing Between Jobs: Talking with Creditors — Oregon State University Extension Service — When your income drops, it’s important to face your debts and know how to talk to your creditors.
- Family Resource Management Resource List (124 K PDF) — University of Minnesota Extension — Lists resources that can help families who experience financial difficulties.
- Bridge to Benefits — Children’s Defense Fund — Multi-state project to improve the well-being of families and individuals by linking them to public work support programs and tax credits.
- MinnesotaHelp.info — Online directory of services designed to help people in Minnesota find human services, information and referral, financial assistance, and other forms of help. It is especially rich in resource information for seniors and their caregivers; people with disabilities and their caregivers; parents and families; and low income people.
- GovBenefits.gov — The official benefits website of the U.S. government provides easily accessible information on over 1,000 benefit and assistance programs.
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Farm-related Disaster
- Preparing and Recovering from Natural Disaster — University of Minnesota Extension — Resources to help cope with natural disasters.
- After a Natural Disaster: Coping with Loss — University of Minnesota Extension and Partners — Information about the five stages of grieving and how to cope with loss.
- After a Natural Disaster: Managing Anger — University of Minnesota Extension and Partners — Tips for managing anger including changing how you see things, saying how you feel, and calming down.
- After a Natural Disaster: Ending Isolation — University of Minnesota Extension and Partners — Talk, ask for help, and be with people.
- After a Natural Disaster: Talking with Children — University of Minnesota Extension and Partners — After a disaster it’s important to accept kids’ feelings, be honest and reassuring, and let them help.
- Grief and Crisis Decisions — University of Minnesota Extension — How each stage of grief affects decision-making.
- Monthly Budget/Spending Plan for Families who have Experienced a Natural Disaster (155 K PDF) — University of Minnesota Extension — Determine monthly family expenses/income prior and during a natural disaster in order to plan for future "recovery" expenses.
- Trying to Understand and Cope with Disasters — University of Minnesota Extension — Symptoms of stress, how to ease it, and when to seek help
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Other Agriculture
- Farm Information Line — University of Minnesota Extension — Phone line that provides reliable, research-based answers from Extension agriculture experts; call 800-232-9077 or email.
- Minnesota AgrAbility Program — University of Minnesota Extension and Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota — Assists people with disabilities who work in agriculture. The program can help with with on-farm consultation, safety planning, connecting to resources and peers, and more. See information on their website or call 800-669-6719, ext. 5601.
- Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network — Minnesota Department of Agriculture — Hotline staffed by veteran financial analysts who help producers facing crises. Includes referral services for lenders, farm business management instructors, and extension educators as well as legal advice and crisis counseling. Call 1-877-898-MFAN (6326) or send an email. Answered 24-7.
- Rural Minnesota Life — University of Minnesota Department of Family Social Science — Website designed to contribute to family business and family vitality.
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See other recommended resources for resources beyond Extension.
