NFU Vice President: Bankruptcies, Suicides Still Rising

Wisconsin dairy farmer and current National Farmers Union Vice President Patty Edelburg told Fox News that the ongoing trade war with China is increasing financial stress and suicide among farmers. Edelburg joins other Midwest agricultural leaders in condemning President Trump’s ongoing trade war. She says the dire state of farming amid falling income and commodity prices is resulting in a surging amount of bankruptcies, stress, and suicide among the agricultural community. A Newsweek article quoted Edelburg saying, “It’s been insane. We’ve had a lot of farmers pushed into bankruptcy, as well as a lot more farmer suicides. These things are highlighting many of the stories in our local news.” The National Farmers Union and other Ag groups confirmed to Newsweek that they’re offering more resources to help prevent suicides in 2019. The NFU has established a website, www.farmcrisis.nfu.org, to help family farmers and ranchers make tough decisions. The government-backed Wisconsin Farm Center, which helps distressed farmers, saw its call numbers climb by 33 percent last November and December. Wisconsin saw a record 915 suicides as recently as 2017, which experts say might be farmers succumbing to severe financial pressure.