MARSHALL, Minn. — Ruth Lanoue, a cow-calf producer, farmer, mother, wife and registered nurse in Marshall, has felt the weight of farming on her shoulders and known the severe impact of isolation on mental health
That’s why, after being a part of the
Minnesota Ag and Rural Leadership
class, she and her husband worked to create Fenceline.life, an online gathering place for farmers to remotely meet up and have focused and intentional conversations about the difficulties as well as the successes of living the farming lifestyle
Ruth said her participation in the class pushed to her take on a project that she knew was bigger than herself
“They encourage us to look for a leadership project, something that we can do to better our communities. And that is where this brainchild came out of,” Lanoue said
Lanoue deals with health on a regular basis, and she’s had some personal journeys that have helped her realize the importance of mental health as well. She saw that in agriculture there is a need to break out of isolation, meet up with others and create a community to come together and be heard
The name, Fenceline, came to be because farmers sometimes meet each other at the fenceline. While they remain on their side of the fence, it’s a place to share what’s happening on their side
Lanoue explained that agriculture is by nature a lifestyle full of situations out of the producer’s control
“Also … often our coworkers are our family,” Lanoue said. “So … if we’re having a tough time, there’s not a lot of safe space to air those feelings because the person who you might have feelings against is your father, who is your boss.”
She said that can create an atmosphere that feels isolating and defeating
For those looking to attend, Zoom meetings last about an hour. They include some structured reading that focuses on different topics on the journey to stronger mental health. There are also opportunities to share stories, experiences and be heard
“So there’s no coaching of each other. It’s more just peer sharing,” Lanoue said
Her hope is that participants don’t see this as a one-and-done meeting but rather a lasting relationship they can build with others going through similar experiences
“The vision is that this can grow as big as the internet can take it,” Lanoue said
She can see it expanding into something where people step up to lead specialized groups, such as meetings for cattle producers, farm wives, crop producers and more
States like Minnesota have emergency care,
hotlines,counselors
and rural advocates to step in and provide more emergent help for those in agriculture. This group builds on that by creating a community to help maintain health
In July, attendees in those weekly meetings mostly consisted of Ruth and her husband, Paul. She’s hopeful the word will get out to help build this community meeting place into a thriving network
To find out more or to register to join one of their meetings, visit
fenceline.life
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