Creating a Farm Stress Extension Program

Cooperative Extension programs are always evolving based on internal and external factors. The ability to recognize clientele needs, form teams, and deliver programs is Extension’s mission. For the past five years, farm stress management has been an emerging program. University of Maryland Extension (UME) has taken several steps to assess, prepare and develop this focus area. The first step was a statewide needs assessment, which discovered elevated levels of farm stress when compared to previous years. As a result UME created the Farm Stress Management Team and sponsored professional development opportunities and supported program planning. Grant funding was pursued and UME received three projects totaling over $640,000. These funds have supported a wide variety of activities including professional development, curriculum design, online resources, staffing, and counseling agreements.