HARRISON CO., Ky. - (LEX 18) — Only one percent of the United States farms, but in Kentucky, it's a big industry.
In 2023, more than $8 billion was generated for the state's economy.
"It's in our blood, we love it, it's a challenge," said farmer Brian Furnish.
Furnish farms nearly 1,000 acres in Harrison County. He has cattle and sheep and also grows tobacco, hemp, corn, canola and soybeans.
Furnish says the nonstop schedules and the tendency to put their own needs on the back burner is why he is an advocate for his fellow farmers to get seen by a medical professional.
"A lot of farmers can't afford insurance so they have high deductibles in case of emergency or surgery, they just don't go to the doctors a lot and a lot of farmers feel like I don't have to go to the doctor I'll get better on my own, so it's a challenge," said Furnish.
There's a state program called Raising Hope that focuses on the health of farmers. State agriculture commissioner Jonathon Shell recently announced they're expanding the program into the Farmer Care Initiative. It's a partnership with Appalachian Regional Healthcare.
Shell tells LEX 18 it's not just about physical health but mental health, too.
"If you're raising a couple hundred head of cattle, and you've got crops in the ground, you're under a time crunch, you're under the whims of mother nature, you're under the whims of market pressures, that's why Raising Hope was built because farmers as an industry has the highest suicide rates of anyone in the country," said Shell.
The goal is to meet farmers where they are, like extension offices, and even use mobile units to go to them.
They are providing free preventative care like testing blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and vision and hearing tests.
"A lot of farmers don't want to know what they have because they're afraid it's cancer or something else," said Furnish.
To learn more about Raising Hope, click here.
