SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The drought that has plunged America’s farm families into the national media spotlight is helping people understand how a strong farm economy helps maintain a healthy rural community economy.

It’s also calling attention to farm-specific stressors rarely experienced by the 98 percent of Americans who aren’t farmers or ranchers. Less farm income trickles down in the form of fewer farmhands and grain handlers employed by farmers and elevators at harvest, which in turn results in less gasoline, coffee and doughnuts purchased at the local convenience mart.

Less income for farmers at harvest – especially those without crop insurance – means less money circulated within the community, fewer taxes paid in and fewer new equipment purchases.

“The possible effects of the drought certainly have that (trickle down) potential” on rural communities, said Colleen Callahan, Illinois director for USDA Rural Development. “The USDA and the federal government can provide help to rural communities during the drought, and USDA has begun working with other agencies that have programs that can be helpful to those impacted by the drought.”

She cited several disaster aid options within the USDA, including its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans, as programs potentially helpful to small businesses in rural communities.

“If you have a business and its income is impacted because people in rural communities don’t have the income level that they (previously) did, the business may be able to restructure its loan to extend its life at a lower interest rate by working with USDA Rural Development,” Callahan said.

With many rural communities facing water supply issues as a result of the drought, Rural Development can also provide loans and other assistance in upgrading towns’ water and storm systems, according to Callahan. Under the direction of President Obama and the USDA, rural communities have invested in more than 5,500 water and wastewater treatment projects, impacting some 20 million rural residents, through USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.

For some rural businesses, help may arrive too late to make a difference. In 25 years of managing the Heritage Grain Cooperative in Dalton City, Ill., Jerry Rowe’s elevator never lost money until now, according to a Decatur area newspaper. Many rural Illinois elevator owners and business people are suffering the same fate, with farmers keeping a tight squeeze on their wallets.

“People have just stopped spending. In a normal year we’d be going to more movies, shopping more. My wife would like to buy some new furniture, and I had my eye on a new planter,” Jim Reed, Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. Grassroots Committee chair, told the newspaper. “We’ll go to McDonald’s instead of Texas Roadhouse, because in the back of your mind you’re saying, ‘we shouldn’t be extravagant.’”

In addition, agribusiness is stepping up to assist farmers in their time of need. Monsanto announced on Aug. 6 new commitments to support farmers and rural communities impacted by severe drought.

The company will double its America’s Farmers Grow Communities (AFGC) funding in counties declared disaster areas by the USDA, and offer farmers additional prepay options and financing assistance for the purchase of their seed. “Nearly 90 percent of the U.S. corn crop is in regions impacted by drought,” said Mike Stern, U.S. row crop business lead for Monsanto. “Monsanto understands that when farmers face crop losses, it makes it more difficult to invest in their business the for the following year. We also recognize the impact that a devastating drought can have on communities where farmers live and work. This is why we’re providing disaster relief through additional funding of our (AFGC) program that will directly assist those drought stricken communities.”

Monsanto indicated it will invest up to $5 million in rural America during 2013 through the expanded AFGC program.

Mental health also at risk

America’s Farmers Farm Mom of the Year Debbie Lyons-Blythe said farmers are small business owners who fuel the economies of their communities by generating income for local businesses and providing jobs for neighbors. “In good years, farmers make a profit and invest that money back into their operation – purchasing new equipment, improving fences and even building new facilities,” said Lyons-Blythe. “During a severe drought, farmers aren’t able to invest much in their crops or business, and that has a cumulative impact on rural communities.”

Financial is not the only impact a severe drought has on rural communities. The stress can also lead to increased psychological distress, especially for farmers, according to Professor R.J. Fetsch, Colorado State University extension human development and family studies specialist.

“Loss or the threat of loss of the family farm or ranch often produces multiple stress-related manifestations, which can lead to depression,” Fetsch stated in May. “If history repeats the grim statistics of the last agricultural crisis in the mid-(19)80s, we could see suicide rates triple among farmers and ranchers as compared to (normal) suicide rates. We can also expect some rural communities to experience social disintegration and some to completely collapse.”

Fetsch recommends families be cognizant of signs of farm and ranch stress, including a change in routine, a decline in care of livestock and the farmstead, an increase in illness, more farm or ranch accidents and signs of stress in children.

There are physical, emotional, behavioral and cognitive signs of chronic, prolonged stress, including problems with self-esteem, that loved ones of farmers and ranchers should watch for, said Fetsch. According to the Missouri Department of Public Health (MDPH), studies show stress may be even greater for young farmers, farmers holding a second off-farm job and farm women.

“Drought stress may be different than stress in other disasters because a drought is an extended event and does not have a single moment of impact,” according to Tips for Coping With Drought-Related Stress, a fact sheet distributed by the MDPH.

“The anxiety builds over time and becomes chronic, making it less noticeable to ourselves and those around us. The drought may not be viewed as seriously as a tornado because the damage is not as visible, (but) its impact is (worse) for already stressed farm families and communities.”

MDPH lists common signs of distress as: irritability and anger, feelings of anxiety and worry, headaches and gastrointestinal complaints, increased risk-taking behavior, changes in sleep and eating habits, increased alcohol or drug use, forgetfulness, fatigue, sense of helplessness, lack of concentration, avoidance or denial and sadness.