MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service PROMISE Initiative has two upcoming sessions in a webinar series that addresses farm stress, mental health and social structural issues affecting farmers and ranchers.

The webinars will be held May 18 and June 15 at noon CST. They are part of the ongoing “R is for Rural and Resilient” series that began in November 2020.

On May 18, Jim Giesen, an associate professor of history at MSU, will present “Romantic Agrarianism: Living Up to the Farmer Ideal in Historical Context.” He will explore the question of whether agrarianism creates false expectations for today’s farmers.

On June 15, Michael Nadorff, an associate professor of psychology at MSU, will discuss improving access to mental health care in rural communities.

The classes are open to a national audience and will benefit agricultural producers, industry professionals, Extension agents, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees and other individuals who work in agriculture or support those who do.

Webinars are free, but participants must sign up to receive access information. Register on the Extension registration website at https://bit.ly/3xKEJzm

A collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the series is part of the PROMISE Initiative, an opioid-misuse prevention program focused on enhancing mental health among rural populations, especially agricultural producers. PROMISE stands for “Preventing Opioid Misuse In the SouthEast” and is led by a multidisciplinary team of Extension professionals.

For more information about the PROMISE Initiative, visit the Extension website at http://extension.msstate.edu/the-promise-initiative or contact Mary Nelson Robertson at mnr72@msstate.edu or 662-325-4447.

MSU is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation, please contact Robertson at mnr72@msstate.edu or 662-325-4447, or Taylor Szasz Green at ts748@msstate.edu.

This project is supported by the Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program of the National Institute of Food and the Agriculture, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Grants program.