Focus group sessions pinpoint farming stressors

Researchers from the Mississippi State University Extension Service are looking to collect row-crop farmers’ feedback on stress related to farming.

The focus group sessions are part of the MSU Extension opioid prevention campaign Preventing Opioid Misuse In the Southeast, or the PROMISE Initiative.

Participation involves answering a series of questions about farming, stress related to farming and the opioid epidemic. If a row-crop farmer agrees to participate in a focus group, the total time commitment will be two hours.

The focus group meetings will be held Jan. 28 at the MSU Extension Coahoma County office in Clarksdale and the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, and Feb. 2 at the MSU North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona. The sessions in Clarksdale and Verona will begin at 8:30 a.m. The Stoneville session starts at 12:30 p.m.

A meal will be provided at each location. Participants will also receive a Yeti tumbler for their participation. Face coverings and social distancing will be required at each site.

The MSU Extension Coahoma County office is located at 503 East 2nd St. in Clarksdale. The Delta Research and Extension Center is at 82 Stoneville Road in Stoneville. The North Mississippi Research and Extension Center address is 5421 Miss. Highway 145 in Verona.

To participate in one of the focus groups or learn more, contact Mary Nelson Robertson, PROMISE Initiative project manager, at 662-325-4447 or mnr72@msstate.edu. Participants must be at least 18 years old.

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