Talking about mental health is difficult for farmers. So what better way to get the conversation going than by having farmers talk to farmers? That’s precisely what will happen at this year’s Corn•Soy Expo Friday, February 3.
Mental health is not a new focus of Corn•Soy Expo. Well-known Wisconsin advocate Jeff Ditzenberger has been presenting at Corn•Soy in a breakout session for a few years. This year, that role is expanding.
“The committee felt that the topic of mental health was a concern for everyone who attends the Expo,” says Mark Hoffmann, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association president, “It made sense to bring the topic to the main stage for all to hear.”
“Jeff has made a big impact in Wisconsin,” adds Steve Trzebiatowski, Wisconsin Soybean president. “Bringing his message to a panel of advocates and professionals will allow a fuller discussion to occur, one that our committee cares deeply about delivering.”
Ditzenberger is a Wisconsin farmer who spent nine months in jail on a felony arson charge. He was less embarrassed to admit to arson than to the fact that he had mental illness and that the arson was an attempted suicide. He decided that he was done with disappointing himself and his daughter after seeing her from behind prison security glass on her first Thanksgiving. He has had seven years of therapy to manage bipolar disorder II.
“It’s OK to not be OK, but please don’t stay there,” Ditzenberger says. “People need someone to talk to. Know that help is out there.”
Ditzenberger is the founder of TUGS (Talking, Understanding, Growing, Supporting), a support group and Facebook page to help others by sharing lived experience.
He will be joined by Adrienne DeSutter and Lowell Neitzel.
Adrienne DeSutter is part of her husband’s fourth generation farm family in Knox County, Illinois. They raise corn and soybeans alongside a small herd of cattle and a small herd of children. With a Master’s degree in Counseling (and a self-proclaimed Master of Farm Family Chaos), DeSutter recognized a need for mental health advocacy in agriculture and began partnering with ag businesses and organizations to promote healthy minds and prevent farmer suicide. In addition to public speaking, she helps create and connect valuable ag mental health resources, writes wellness articles, and has been featured in articles, podcasts, and initiatives across the globe.
Lowell Neitzel is a fourth-generation farmer in East Central Kansas. He farms with his wife’s family, where he grows corn and soybeans and has a small feedlot operation. He and his wife Krystale are parents to two: Tuff (14) and Mayson (8) who love being at the farm and working with the 4-H animals. Mental health is very important to Neitzel after watching his father suffer for years with depression, dealing with depression and anxiety himself and seeing fellow farmers struggling as well.
“It’s time that our fellow farmers know that they are not alone,” he says.
Registration is open until January 12 for those who would like to participate in the Expo at an attendee. Information can be found by visiting cornsoyexpo.org.
The Wisconsin Corn•Soy Expo is Wisconsin’s premier grower event where the Wisconsin Soybean Programs, Wisconsin Corn Programs, and the Wisconsin Pork Association bring together over 1,200 corn and soybean growers and pork producers.
The Wisconsin Corn Soy Expo is slated to take place February 2 -3, 2023 at the Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells.
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