Ames, Iowa — Between international trade troubles and the continued rain that’s hampering the harvest, many Iowa farmers are getting stressed. Tammy Jacobs, a coordinator with the Iowa Concern Hotline, says they’ve seen a slow but steady increase in the number of calls from farmers in recent months, with a ten-percent spike in July alone. Jacobs says the pressure of the harvest can ratchet up nerves.
Commodity prices remain low and demand for some grains is dipping due to trade disputes. Also, some areas of Iowa have seen rain almost daily for two weeks straight. It’s created muddy fields and flooding in some areas and farmers are rightfully concerned about their crops.
The hotline’s phone lines are staffed 24-seven, so there’s always a real, live person you can talk to about anything that’s worrying you.
The service was launched at the height of the Farm Crisis in 1985 as the Rural Concern Hotline, but during the floods of 1993, shifted gears to address problems beyond agriculture, becoming the Iowa Concern Hotline. The toll-free number is 800-447-1985 and the website is www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern.
