Good Morning, Farmer! Brings Farming Community Together for Education and Fellowship

New University of Maryland Extension program provides farm stress management techniques and more

University of Maryland Extension (UME) educators Jeanette Jeffrey, Dave Myers and Kayla Griffith developed a new virtual morning program for farmers and farm families, called Good Morning Farmer!, featuring speakers from the Extension agricultural community.

The new weekly program encourages farmers and those who work in the agricultural industry, to come together virtually every week for one hour, beginning on December 2, 2020 at 8 a.m., to discuss topics like farm stress reduction, agricultural law, financial management, and much more.

“Good Morning Farmer! is an opportunity for fellowship and candid discussions about topics that matter to farmers, their families, and businesses,” said Jeanette Jeffrey, nutrition and health educator, and co-organizer of the program.

With the pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders, stress on the farm communities has been compounded, said Jesse Ketterman, financial educator with UME. “Farmers are isolated to begin with due to the nature of their work, and now they’re even more isolated. Programs like Good Morning, Farmer! help them make connections and interact within their community,” he said.

The program occurs weekly, with a different featured speaker during each session. Topics vary throughout the duration of the morning meetings, which continue through March 31, 2021, and include machinery breakdowns, injury and pain management, nutrition, and financial planning. The first session, beginning at 8 a.m. on December 2, 2020 features Paul Goeringer, Extension specialist speaking on Agricultural Law and Farm Policy.

For more information and to register for this free program, go to https://go.umd.edu/GoodMorningFarmer.

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~ University of Maryland Extension