May 13, 2020 Issue, Page 5 of 8

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Agriculture Wednes: ay 13, 2020 (a The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Page 5 Education groups steps up to help youth From the Beckham ebrate them and appreci- the state, the group’s com- formation on a wide variety 18,000 Oklahomans through gery mastectomy patients, County Extension Office ate all that they do,” said munity service makes a sig- of topics, including health, educational programming, providing birthday cakes for Whether it is raising funds Jorge Atiles, associate dean nificant difference. family and finances. philanthropic projects and several non-profit organiza- to provide scholarships for in Oklahoma State Univer- “Our members have a “We also play a vital role other activities. They pro- tions, and donating items to 4-H Youth, planting trees to sity’s College of Education hand in so many different in communities vided $21,000 in support to because, beautify the community or and Human Sciences, and community events and activ-especially in the smaller local community organiza- foster care parents and indi- sewing thousands of cloth who also serves as the state ities, including community towns, there may not be tions and projects. viduals in need.” face masks during the CO- adviser to the organization. beautification, tutoring stu- very many resources avail- Kristy Spalding, Beckham If you're looking for a VID-19 pandemic, mem- To date, members have dents, supporting veterans, able,” Owen said. “Oklaho- and Washita Counties’ Fam- place to meet people with bers of the Oklahoma Home made more than 35,000 fa- providing educational schol- ma Home and Community ily and Consumer Sciences similar interests and have a and Community Education cial masks to help communi- arships and supporting local Education is able to open Extension Educator, serves desire to help others, Okla- group are ready to help. ties cope with the pandemic. 4-H’ers and other groups,” up more resources and edu- as the adviser for the OHCE homa Home and Commu- Established in 1935, the “They truly impact lives, Owen said. cational opportunities that groups in Beckham and group is celebrating its ser- and OSU Extension is grate- Oklahoma Home and can help many of our state’s Washita Counties. nity Education might just be vice to Oklahoma families ful to have such a great com- Community —_Education’s families. It’s vital that we “OHCE Members have what you're looking for. and communities May 3-9 munity partner in OHCE,” ultimate mission is to edu- adapt to the changing world; been busy sewing masks More information about during Oklahoma Home he said. “They take our cate its members to be well- we must stay relevant for our the last few weeks, but they OHCE is available on the and Community Education research-based information informed and able to handle audience.” have also participated in oth- organization’s _ https://hu- Week. and put it to work along with changes in their homes and Last year, the group con- er projects,” Spalding said. mansciences.okstate.edu/ “Oklahoma Home and the local county Extension communities. Through its “A few of their past service tributed more than $88,000 Community Education con- educators.” close relationship with OSU in scholarships funds to projects have included sew- feslohce/ or contact Kristy tinues to go beyond their Leslye Owen, OHCE pres- Extension, members bring 4-H’ers and other students ing washable feminine pads Spalding at 580-660-0592 call to duty in communities ident, said with a member- that vision into reality by across the state. Members for girls in Europe, sewing or kristy.spalding @ okstate. across the state. We cel- ship of nearly 3,400 across sharing research-based in- also reached more than comfort pillows for post-sur- edu. Pandemic is having wide-ranging impact on food industry By Tanner Holubar, Still- industry is mostly specula- used these impact models produces more than 4.2 mil- sickness within a plant is go- markets, so we're getting water NewsPress tion. Willoughby and other in the past to predict nega- lion pounds of pork prod- ing to have an impact.” calls daily. There are also One of the industries hard- experts at FAPC recently tive impacts. It’s just such ucts per day with more than But while some meat pro- people wondering if we can est hit by the coronavirus released a report on the im- a different animal, the usual 2,500 employees. ducers may have a larger harvest their animal because pandemic has been the food pact of the pandemic on the economic predictors don’t “One of the biggest things than normal stock of meat they have people who want industry. From restaurants to state’s food industry. apply.” T think that they’re finding at a facility, there has been to buy.” meat producers, the impact The total negative impact When it comes to some of is it’s difficult keeping their some creative maneuverings Willoughby also said he has been felt across Okla- could be a potential loss of the impacts COVID-19 has workers protected, because to still find a way to sell the believes a meat shortage is homa and the United States. 3,650 jobs and $115.5 mil- on the food industry, one is of a shortage of personal products. possible in Stillwater, but The Oklahoma Restau- lion income in food pro- on the employees of meat protective equipment,” Wil- “Something that we're al- hasn’t seen that be the case rant Association reports thatcessing, 21,826 jobs and processing plants. Many loughby said. “Some of the ready seeing is that there are eight million employees $529,753,947 income in of these types of jobs have processors, they can’t re- livestock producers that are quite yet. He said when ma- jor meat plants lose even a have been furloughed or laid food service and 2,585 jobs people working in close ally get much further apart now selling directly to cus- off, which is two out of ev- and $67,517,675 income proximity to one another, than elbow-to-elbow, and so tomers,” Willoughby said. few days, it can cause a ma- ery three restaurant jobs in in food retail. Job losses and the lack of personal pro- they’ve invested in shields “Tf you can’t get it at the jor interruption in the supply the country. and lost sales in the restau- tective equipment available to try to help the situation. grocery store, you can get a chain. Chuck Willoughby, man- rant industry have come at has made it more difficult to When you have a percentage quarter or side of beef and The full report published ager, business and market- a higher pace than those in keep these employees safe. of people go on sick leave, get that for your freezer. We by the Robert M. Kerr Food ing relations for Oklahoma other industries affected by On Monday, there were and you don’t really have operate a USDA sanctioned and Agricultural Products State University’s Food and the pandemic. 116 coronavirus cases dis- anywhere to pull from to re- facility on the second floor, Center can be viewed by vis- Agricultural Products Cen- “This is so different than covered at Seaboard Foods place them. Usually a temp and they’ve been harvesting iting: _http://fapc.biz/exper- ter, said the exact impact anything we’ve had before,” in Guymon. According to service is not where you can beef for some of the produc- tise/resources/COVIDIm- of COVID-19 in the food Willoughby said. “We've The Oklahoman, the facility get those kinds of skills. So ers that sell at the farmers pactReportMay2020.pdf Economic blow of the coronavirus hits America’s already stressed farmers By Sandy West, Kaiser “Everyone in the economy fore COVID-19 upended the easily express their emo- all designed to help lift them worse when the pandemic Health News, Columbia economy, the past several tions compounds the prob- out of their mental health is facing a headwind right hit. While a burst of panic Daily Tribune, Missouri. years had been profoundly lem, Oswald and others said. crises. now; it’s just that the ag buying occurred initially, Richard Oswald, _ still space is really behind. Pro- difficult. He has seen it in Farmers are expected to “Over the last 15 to 20 the loss of the restaurant mourning the loss of his fam- ducers have had almost sev- his friends, heard the stories face any challenge -- often years, there has been sub- and school markets has been ily’s homestead to flooding en bad years of bad news.” of bankruptcies and suicide, alone. If it is storming, they must tend to their animals or stantial progress in reduc- a new and huge economic and has felt it himself. along the Missouri River, is To be sure, the global pan- crops. If equipment breaks ing that kind of stigma, and blow to American agricul- planting corn and soybeans demic has taken a toll on He has seen the Missouri down, they do the repair. If building better on-ramps to tural producers. Ethanol and into ground that last year mental health among people River jump its banks and flood his land before, al- the crops fail, they still have help access mental health biodiesel markets fueled by was feet deep underwater. in all industries. But farming to pay the bills. If both the resources and services in ru- America’s row crops are col- though nothing quite like last It’s probably good, he was battling high rates of year. He made it through the domestic and world market ral communities, and getting lapsing, and meat and pork said, to not have too much suicide before the crisis hit. 1980s collapse in the agri- for their products collapse, adequate support for rural processing plants shut down time to think. For example, men in rural cultural markets. And while they have to sell their prod- mental health profession- due to virus clusters found “Diversion therapy is the Missouri have had the high- he can’t imagine not farm- ucts at a loss. als,” said Sean Brotherson, at their facilities. Many milk best treatment for farmers est rate of suicide deaths in ing, he said it has not been a Farming is already one of an extension family special- producers suddenly found right now,” said the 70-year- the state, at 35.6 per 100,000 life without challenges. the most hazardous indus- ist at North Dakota State themselves without large- old from Atchison Coun- residents in 2017, accord- “T can cite time after time tries, with a high rate of fatal University. scale clients, and with no ty, Missouri. “Being busy ing to a February Missouri howit’s just depressing, and injury as well as a high rate Digging deeper into a fi- way to quickly adjust pack- helps.” Hospital Association report itis,” he said. “And you wish of death due to stress-related aging or to sell their product In an industry rocked over - nearly double the statewide you'd listened to your dad conditions such as heart dis- nancial hole and done something else.” But then the bad got even for other uses. the past year by record rates rate of 18.8. The U.S. rate at A shortage of behavioral ease. Farmers often work of bankruptcies, suicides and that time was 14. health professionals in ru- in solitude. While efforts to mental health crises spurred Calls to farmer assistance ral America has left large reduce the stigma associated by weather extremes, trade hotlines have only increased portions of the nation with- with seeking mental health wars and faltering econom- since the COVID-19 pan- out critical resources. As of care have found success, the ics, COVID-19 has fostered demic first caused busi- April 23, more than 5,500 fear of being found out still even more uncertainty for nesses and school systems designated mental health exists. the future of America’s nationwide to shut down, professional shortage ar- “If you acknowledge it, it farms. Already the pandem- said Jennifer Fahy, a spokes- eas existed throughout rural is a sign of weakness,” Os- ic has decimated agricultural person for Farm Aid, which America, affecting a popu- wald said. “You don’t show lation of about 120 million according to the your weakness. You're not markets. runs one of the hotlines. Farmers are expressing in- people, Elk City For the men and women U.S. Health Resources & allowed to be weak. You struggling to operate farms creased concern about being Services Administration. have to be strong. And if you Schlumberger Surplus Industrial Properties and associated businesses able to sell their products, at Many farmers don’t carry get to the point where you Auction Friday June 19 across the country, concerns what price and how this will insurance because, as inde- can’t be strong anymore, are rising that the exist- play out. pendent businesses, the cost then you have betrayed ev- ELK CITY, OK TULSA, OK ing mental health crisis in “J don’t think it is even can be prohibitive. Often- erybody.” © 1019 E Highway 66 + 1150 North Utica Avenue ‘Commercial building with Approx 20 acres of vacant land. farm country is about to get close to what we will be times, a family member will Multiple programs were 12,910+/- sf on 1.84+/- acres. Open to the Public: View worse. hearing after another month, work off the farm to obtain established in recent years to Open to the Public: 11-2pm at your convenience during “Tf you look back over the or two months,” Fahy said. health insurance for the fam- address rural mental health Friday May 29 & June 5 daylight hours. Auctions: 8am, Fri June 19 Auctions: 1:30pm, Fri June 19 last 20 or 30 years of U.S. ‘There is just so much un- ily. Pandemic-related lay- issues, including telehealth, agriculture, the events of the known right now.” offs have hit rural America video-conferencing _plat- Bid on location or live online at @) auctionnetworkcom hard, so many families have last 36 months or so couldn’t Rural gaps in mental lost coverage, which may forms, Farm Aid’s farmer These properties are part of a Nationwide Industrial Assemblage have come at a worse time,” health care create an additional barrier hotline and its farmer assis- auctioning in June. See williamsauction.com/SLB for all properties. said David Widmar, an agri- Oswald, a fifth-generation to seeking behavioral health tance fund, and Michigan Prefer Not to Wait for the Auction? Submit » Pre-Auction Offer! cultural economist with the farmer, said it is a given that assistance. State University’s Stress industry analysis firm Agri- crops and profitability will A baked-in culture where Management _Train-the- cultural Economic Insights. ebb and flow. But even be- farmers. mostly men. don’t Trainer Program. Thev are {By Oc EAN wns Re LC OBIS, BUYER'S PMI