Delaware
Delaware State University holds BIPOC Farmers Conference, discusses farmers and mental health
Mental health issues remain a strain on American farmers, including those in Delaware.
Nearly half of rural adults in the U.S. say they’re experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago, according to a study by Morning Consult and the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Stats on farmer mental health and suicide are largely based on white, middle-aged male farmers in the Midwest, said Scott Marlow, a senior advisor in the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
Marlow joined a panel at this week’s BIPOC Farmers Conference at Delaware State University, which is the first of its kind on DSU’s campus. The conference is a collaboration between the First State African American Farmers’ Association, Delaware State University College of Agriculture, Science and Technology and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Marlow said the drive toward efficiency in agriculture has been detrimental to people of color in the industry.
“There’s not a question… The tools that created the ability to industrialize large-scale, the move towards uniformity, all those things of industrialization were… systematically denied to farmers of color.”
Marlow said conditions in the chicken industry are especially brutal.
Broiler or chicken production accounts for over 75% of Delaware’s agricultural production value, according to the USDA.
Marlow said most of the suicide cases he’s worked were chicken farmers. Risk factors for mental health issues and suicide among farmers include financial distress, pesticide exposure and racism.
“Moves towards efficiency by nature drive people out of farming. Period. Land is a zero sum game. If I get bigger, you get smaller. Period.”
At the same time, Marlow said the FSA changed its focus to keep farmers farming rather than focusing on efficiency.
There used to be an average of 100 to 125 farm foreclosures annually. Now, FSA has foreclosed on 12 farms in the last four years – and none of those farms were owned by Black farmers.
Marlow is trying to turn the conversation in the agriculture world away from things like pamphlets and asking farmers how they’re doing.
“Farmer death is a function of the system as it now stands. And unless we address that system, and unless we address the drivers of that system, we will be ineffectual at the other pieces.”
N. Scott Trimble
High School football 2024 Class D playoffs: Dolgeville vs. Delaware Academy
GEORGETOWN, Del. – The Delaware Springboard Villages announced Friday, that they would be breaking ground on a new community center. Co-founder of the organization, Jeffrey Ronald thinks this new center will bring more unity into the neighborhood.
“Breaking ground on this community center is not just for the participants of the Springboard Village. It’s for the broader Georgetown community where they will have access to job training, life skills like financial planning, communication skills, and healthcare.”
The state-of-the-art facility will feature computer labs, a telehealth conference room, staff offices, and a commercial kitchen. These resources will help guests toward self-sufficiency.
Executive Director, of Springboard Delaware, Judson Malone thinks this can be life-changing for those in need.
“It gives them a completely new perspective, and it is incredible when people come from the woods. It’s almost transformational, their whole outlook changes, and so the community center is going to build on that.”
According to Springboard Delaware, nearly 25% of guests have gained full employment. Around one-third have transitioned to permanent housing. Ronald is excited about the future of the Springboard Villages.
Governor-elect, Matt Meyer supports the organization. Ronald believes this will only grow stronger. “Matt Meyer who spearheaded the Hope Center, has been to the Springboard Village. He has kindly declared, and we think wisely declared, that he wants to replicate this model across the entire state. Hoping to help disadvantaged Delawareans build a better life.”
The villages are located on the property of the First State Community Action Agency behind their Georgetown headquarters. It houses up to 40 individuals.
It is the expectation they come in with a plan to find full employment.
DELHI, NY (WBNG) — NYSEG is reporting more than 10,000 customers are without power in Delaware County on Friday morning.
Most of the outages are being reported in the Village of Walton, NY.
NYSEG reports that 1,733 customers are without power. According to the company, it has a total of 1,734 customers in the village.
The outages occurred as heavy snow fell over much of the area overnight.
Meanwhile, more than 5,700 outages were reported in Chenango County and more than 4,600 in Broome County as of Friday morning.
For the latest on the forecast, download the Storm Track 12 weather app for Android and iOS.
For the most up-to-date information about the outages, follow this link.
Copyright 2024 WBNG. All rights reserved.
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