To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) is recognizing farmers through its Heroes of Hope campaign.
Heroes of Hope is focused on shedding light on rural heroes who have helped others through a challenging time, i.e., helping harvest crops, providing positivity in day-to-day work, uplifting other farmers to get through a demanding planting or harvest season, etc.
Heroes of Hope aims to identify people who have helped bring hope to farmers or businesses, in large or small ways. Members of the agriculture community are encouraged to nominate individuals who have made an impact on the way they conduct business, ordinarily and extraordinarily.
“Heroes of Hope highlights the rural heroes who helped bring hope, help, or healing to other farmers and farm families during tough times,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau Chief Administrative Officer Kim Pokorny. “It’s a chance to say, ‘thank you’ to those who have made a difference in the lives of others.”
Heroes of Hope will recognize five farmers who have helped a neighbor with generous prize packages donated from local sponsors. These heroes will share their stories in Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Rural Route magazine. Nominations will be accepted May 1-21 and winners will be announced on May 28.
“Farmers are a big family and they support each other in the darkest of times. Knowing others are available to help get the field work finished, cows milked, the family fed or to lend a shoulder to lean on or a listening ear is priceless and needs to be recognized and celebrated,” Pokorny added.
Heroes of Hope is a part of the Farm Neighbors Care campaign, which was created in the spring of 2019. Farm Neighbors Care was created by WFBF, with help from other agriculture organizations, to shed light on mental health in the farming community. The campaign asks rural residents to have face-to-face conversations with farmers and agri-business owners. For some, this conversation and check-in may be the dose of positivity needed to make it through a difficult day.
Nominations will be accepted through May 21 and the nomination form is available at wfbf.com/farm-neighbors-care-campaign/heroes-of-hope.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization representing farms of all sizes, commodities and management styles.
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