New England Farm Weekly, Country Folk article by Enrico Villamaino features Farmer Angel Network and co-founder Randy Roecker.
'Wisconsin dairy farmer Randy Roecker felt better access to mental health practitioners is needed. He said not only is it difficult to find a therapist, it’s even harder to find one that understands farming. “Farming is so different,” he explained. “We need to have specialists who really understand what they’re going through and know how to deal with farmers directly.” Most farmers, he continued, are isolated and don’t frequently get off the farm. Telemedicine could be effective, he opined, “but internet access in a lot of the rural parts of our country isn’t up to it. We need to address that as a broadband infrastructure issue.” Roecker founded the online support group “Farmer Angel Network” on Facebook to help farmers combat the feeling that they’re alone. “We really need a better sense that farming is a community.”'
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