Farm Stress Real Talk
A Podcast from Penn State Extension's Farm Stress Team
The Farm Stress Real Talk podcast focuses on supporting farmers, farm families, and workers in the commercial agriculture industry who are experiencing stress. Join the Penn State Extension Farm Stress team for informal educational conversations with educators, Penn State faculty, and other agricultural professionals. In each podcast, we will tackle topics that challenge our farming community, provide constructive suggestions, and build awareness around the potentially stressful conditions affecting farmers. Guests will discuss research with real-life experiences of what has and has not worked and provide tips to help you more successfully identify signs of stress along with developing coping strategies and techniques.
How to Listen
Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes throughout the season. Stream or download episodes to listen on your favorite device whenever and wherever it’s convenient for you.
Stream Online
Meet the Hosts
Ginger Fenton
Ginger is a dairy Extension educator. Her programs focus on milk quality and food safety from the farm to the processor. Her other areas of interest include farm safety and occupational health and working with women on farms. By participating in the farm stress team, Ginger includes mental health and wellness as an important part of farmer well-being.
Chi Catalone
Chi Catalone is an Extension educator with the Food, Families and Community Unit who grew up on a dairy farm and continues to help with the family farm who raise black angus, sheep, and chickens. Chi is a member of the Farm Stress team, Mental Health First Aid, and Question, Persuade, and Refer Suicide Prevention Team.
Amber Hughes
Amber Hughes is an Extension educator based in northeastern Pennsylvania with the Food, Families, and Community Unit. Born and raised on a farm, she has experienced and observed how farm-related stressors may affect the entire family. Amber is also certified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) instructor to help others learn how to become comfortable addressing mental health concerns with family, friends, and neighbors.
Sonya Nace
Sonya Ryan Nace is a Extension educator for Food, Families, and Community Unit in central Pennsylvania. Her family has been dairy and grain farming for generations. Sonya is a Mental Health First Aid instructor and hopes to help others by providing resources to deal with stress during life’s difficult times.
Jill Varner
Jill Varner is a Food, Families, and Community Unit educator located in Western Pennsylvania. She grew up on a hobby farm in rural Texas, then moved to rural western New York. Jill is a member of the Farm Stress and Question, Persuade, Refer Suicide Prevention teams and serves as a Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Learn More
Find more education and resources on farm stress and family well-being in our online education hub.
Stay Connected
Get notified when we have news, courses, or events of interest to you!
By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension. View our privacy policy.
Thank you for subscribing!