Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Early in 2009, Iowa State University Extension dairy specialists were helping dairy producers make milking easier with barn transitions. Then the economy turned and the new need was to help dairy families manage a financial situation that was out of control. Due to his experience with producers in the 80s, dairy specialist Dale Thoreson recognized the importance of encouraging financially-stressed producers to communicate openly with family members, including the children.

Response:
The dairy specialists pulled together a team to address the educational needs of dairy families during challenging financial times. "Dealing with Tough Times: The Dairy Financial Situation" was a 3-hour workshop delivered across the state. In addition to providing financial and legal information, some of the programs also had a component focusing on family communication. The family life specialist was asked to present information on "What Do We Tell the Kids?" at the Nashua, Calmar and Oelwein sites. Producers were urged to communicate with their children at age-appropriate levels about what was happening and were given tips for keeping the lines of communication open to all family members. Copies of the publication, "Losing a Way of Life? Ambiguous Loss in Farm Families" by Dr. Pauline Boss, University of Minnesota, were made available and key information on ambiguous loss and stress were incorporated into a presentation on Farm Stress by John Baker.

Impact:
Eighty participants were reached through the family life specialist's presentations in the three northeast Iowa meetings. That information was also incorporated into presentations by dairy specialist Larry Tranel in three additional meetings in Dubuque, Clayton and Jones Counties, reaching an additional 27 people. Tom Quaff, Kansas City, editor of Dairy Herd Management – an online publication read by most dairy families in the country, attended the Nashua meeting and took copious notes. His editorial the next day focused on the communication aspect because as he told Andrusyk, “this is the piece of the dairy financial crisis that we haven’t talked about, and it’s important that farm families know it.” Quaff's reporting helped spread the information to dairy families nationwide. The family life specialist was also contacted by a radio station in Vermont requesting to use the information because "Vermont dairy families are experiencing the same stress as Iowa dairy families." A county extension educator in Nebraska requested information on stress and ambiguous loss that he could share with farm families in his county.

Additional Team Members or Community Partners:
Dale Thoreson, Dairy Specialist; Larry Tranel, Dairy Specialist; John Baker, Attorney at Law, Iowa Concern Hotline; Chris Mondak, Dairy Specialist; Leo Timms, Dairy Specialist

Contact:
Donna Andrusyk
Bremer County Extension
720 7th Ave SW
Tripoli, IA 50676
319-882-4275