At crop conference, farmers discuss industry’s future
FRANKLIN TWP — Though it’s February and snowy, the farming and agriculture industries continue to push onward.
At the Penn State Extension’s Northwestern Pennsylvania Crops conference on Tuesday, Feb. 24, dozens of farmers, field and forage crop producers, pesticide applicators and crop consultants packed into The Atrium to further learn from educators about the industry they spend countless hours involved in and discuss how to overcome challenges.
Stephen Campbell, an agronomist with Penn State Extension, said about 40 registrants out of the 75 attendees came from Butler County, including a mix of farmers and others in the agriculture industry.
“This is a really good learning experience. These guys are busy. They may not always have these interactions,” Campbell said. “And these professors, this is what they do for a living. They’re doing all of this research. This stuff is really valuable, not just here in Butler County, but across the state.”
The conference offered a workshop aimed at reviewing crop production in the previous growing season and general planning for next year’s season. The conference also covered subjects like ongoing field and forage crop research at Penn State, effective pest management strategies for field and forage crops and best practices for pesticide safety.
Participants learned about innovations in the field for the upcoming season and heard about newer research, products and technology.
The workshop featured multiple specialists as well as extension educators for field and forage crops.
“It’s important to take something away from all of this. There’s so many resources out there,” Campbell said.
“The crops, the forage species, this is all very diverse,” said Guojie Wang, a forage specialist with the extension. “There’s a lot of complexity we deal with.”
Attendees also received pesticide recertification credits, Campbell said. Pesticide applicators have to register through the state Department of Agriculture.
Several local agricultural companies in attendance showcased products and services. Representatives from organizations like the United States Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau were on hand.
A big part of the discussions Tuesday morning was about the mental and physical health of those working on farms.
Among farmers, the suicide rate is 3.5 times higher than it is for the rest of the population, according to the Farm Journal. Farmers are also at increased risk for things like heart health problems.
“Part of the reason we’re talking about this is that farmers are at greater risk,” April Miller with the PSU extension said. “Male farmers over the age of 45 have a higher cardiovascular disease risk.”
There are various reasons for these health concerns, Miller said. This includes men, which makes up a majority of farmers, being more susceptible to heart attacks. Other factors include stress and anxiety from things like financial concerns, long work hours, lack of resources in rural areas and stigma surrounding talking about mental health.
In addition to encouraging watching out for others going through tough times, Miller promoted 988, the suicide and crisis hotline.
