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Three new projects are joining the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Bend, Don’t Break Initiative to help Minnesota farmers cope with adversity.

“Agriculture can be a tough profession and Minnesota farmers experience a wide variety of physical, mental and business stresses day-to-day and season-to-season,” Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “We’re proud to work with partners like these to support farmers in meaningful ways.”

The following new projects received funding to support these efforts:

Minnesota FFA Foundation: $52,000 grant to support student chapters across the state that create projects and activities in support of mental wellness for youth, farmers and their communities.

Latino Economic Development Center: $50,000 grant to develop and deliver innovative and culturally appropriate ways of providing financial counseling, problem solving and other forms of enterprise support to historically underserved Minnesota farmers.

Southern Minnesota Agricultural Center of Excellence: $25,000 award to provide consultation and coaching to farmers and farm families that are working on a transition or succession plan for their farm operations, and to contribute materials to a new Minnesota farm transition/succession workbook.

These organizations join 11 others in the MDA’s Bend, Don’t Break Initiative, which is supported by a $559,605 award (no. 2021-70035-35461) from the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Program from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For a full list of the Bend, Don’t Break Initiative awardees and their projects, as well as more resources for coping with farm and rural stress, visit www.mnfarmstress.com.