One of the consequences of farming is that the people engaged in agriculture develop views of the world that are shaped by their experiences and education. Farmers’ educations may include formal academic training in agriculture, but more importantly, learning by trying various farming methods and “the school of hard knocks” provide the best education to become successful producers.

Undergraduate and graduate students majoring in agriculture and related professions (e.g., farm management, agricultural behavioral health, agricultural finance) periodically ask me: “What do I need to know for my profession?”

Eighteen years ago my son, Jon, asked me a similar question at the University of Iowa. He was an undergraduate student and I was a faculty member there who farmed and practiced psychology 220 miles distant in western Iowa. He continued to work on our family farm when possible.

Jon was majoring in business and journalism; he was considering what he wanted to do in life. “Every educational discipline, whether academic or otherwise, has its own way of looking at the world,” I commented as we sat in my office in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.

“Physicists, for example, look at the world through a lens that is shaped by understanding the physical laws of nature, such as gravity. Economists and businesspersons view the world in terms of economic principles; philosophers undertake logic; mathematicians consider the universe in terms of theorems; theologians examine spiritual beliefs to understand our world and whatever preceded or follows life.

“My professional discipline, psychology, equipped me with a framework to understand how people and animals behave. All these varying world views advance civilization when applied positively,” I said.

I didn’t realize at the time that agriculture generates its own unique way of looking at the world. I came to understand only during the past few years that farmers, including me, develop our views of the world by fulfilling a basic drive to supply essentials for life: food, the materials for clothing, shelter and fuel.

I have described agriculturalists’ approach to our livelihoods as manifestations of the agrarian imperative. It’s a view of the world that incorporates knowledge of economics, biology, chemistry and many other disciplines.

Agriculture has greatly advanced life in our contemporary world, much like the knowledge acquired about the laws of physics, medical science, engineering and many other disciplines have advanced civilization. Without agriculture, earlier humans would not have had the time and opportunities to pursue other disciplines, as well as the arts, literature and assorted intellectual dimensions, if we all were still hunters/gatherers.

Jon’s sister, Shelby, was in medical school at the University of Iowa at the same time he was an undergraduate there. As a family for a few days each week, we shared ideas and helped one another. We worked hard in our chosen pursuits and occasionally recreated together at sporting events, restaurants and bars.

Back to Jon’s formation of his world view; he undertook an evaluation of available mental health supports for farm families under the supervision of another faculty member, that perhaps helped prepare him for the career he was entering after finishing college that next spring.

Jon is now the director of a nonprofit organization, SafeNetRX, which collects unexpired medications and supplies and distributes the items to clinics and pharmacies that provide care to needy Iowans and offenders released from correctional institutions. Approximately half of Iowa’s prison population has one or more mental health disorders, say corrections officials; many also have medical issues that require prescription drugs.

He coordinates with the University of Iowa’s College of Pharmacy to evaluate the effectiveness of providing necessary medications and professional follow-up for ex-offenders, who often lack the resources to afford either or both of these health care services.

SafeNetRX has significantly reduced legal violations, recidivism and additional incarceration by the program participants, in comparison with a no-treatment control group, thus saving considerable expenditures by state and county governments. A year of incarceration in Iowa costs about $35,000 per person, in addition to stress on families.

Since its inception, the program has provided $22 million of unused and unexpired medications to ex-offenders and to others in most need, and has avoided the cost of incinerating these medications. Last year, SafeNetRX assisted 10,187 Iowans.

I mention SafeNetRX, because its time for implementation has arrived. The program, which is the only one of its kind, is attracting attention from many states that want to initiate similar projects to address medication waste and high rates of recidivism.

Just like farming and psychology helped me to form my world view, Jon’s experiences helped him to develop his core values, beliefs and behaviors that now energize his work with SafeNetRX. If we don’t formulate guiding principles for our lives, we flail aimlessly.

I will elaborate on how we form world views in follow-up columns.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Dr. Mike Rosmann is a psychologist and farmer in western Iowa. Readers may contact him at mike@agbehavioralhealth.com