Family, Community and Health

[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska extension almanac. The country's facing the realization that Elder Care could be moving into a crisis, as the population of Americans over 65 should double in the next 30 years. Cindy Holden from the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center says a program that focuses on training home care workers for the elderly should help ease the problem.

[Cindy Holden, Nebraska Cooperative Development Center]
Well, we are officially in the silver tsunami, which is when the majority of the population is now 65 and older and they're retiring.

And as you may have figured out as you get older.

Things happen to you, you become less healthy and may have health issues develop and some of those health issues lead to the need for care.

U.S. Census reports estimate that by the year 2060 will have 94.700000 Americans over the age of 65.

10,000 Americans retiring every day, hence the silver tsunami.

And for the 1st time in history, people over 65 outnumbered children under the age of five.

In Nebraska, in 2010, 13.5% of our population was 65 and older.

In 2020, that percentage was 16.4.

And 65 and older outnumbered those under 5 by 9%.

So we're getting older.

We just need people to care for us.

Additionally, in Nebraska alone, in the last 3 years, 12 Nebraska nursing homes have closed, and there are currently 15 Nebraska counties that have no access to nursing home or assisted living facility.

So when you get out to rule Nebraska as you get older, If you need care for a variety of reasons, there is literally nowhere for you to go.

Except to one of the larger communities, um, you know, so for example, you know, here I'm in Buffalo County, I'm in Kearney, we have facilities.

But if you go just a little bit to the, um, West to Furnace County, they don't.

So if they need somewhere to go, they're going to have to move to Phelps County or Gosper County or even Buffalo County to get care because they don't have care in these areas.

And it makes it hard for families to remain in their communities.

What a home care worker cooperative is, is it is a home care, um, agency that is owned by the workers.

So it's not owned by a corporate located, it could be incarnate, it could be in South Dakota, it could be in Chicago, it could be anywhere.

It is owned by the workers that live and work in the community where the care is provided.

So it's a really good economic model if you want to talk about self-empowerment and keeping wealth local.

Because if you and I formed a worker cooperative, we would make the investments, we would do the work and we'd share the profits.

They don't leave where we are.

And we get to make the decisions of what happens to those profits.

Those decisions aren't made by some corporate board.

And that's really important in these small rural communities. That want to keep their wealth in their communities.

So what the home care academy does is it takes a group of interested individuals through the process of forming a worker owned cooperative.

We talk about what it's like to own your own business, what are the things you know how to do?

And then we're able to connect them with resources nationwide.

The other cool thing that we help these communities do.

Is we help them create, um, some relationships with care providers across the country.

It's kind of like a support group for lack of a better word.

People that you can talk to and find out how much you have in common with others.

Because I think sometimes, especially in world Nebraska, you think you're the only one that has this issue.

Well, then when you start talking to someone from rural Washington State or rural California or rural Michigan or rural Minnesota, you realize that we're very similar.

And it gives them some camaraderie and some sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves, and it's a really cool opportunity.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]
For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Brad Mills. Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media, and Nebraska Extension. For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
 

[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska Extension Almanac. Family outdoor activities are ramping up with the nice weather. Just be sure to protect yourself from the ticks that are out, also enjoying the weather. Extension anemologist Jody Green says, just a few things will help you avoid having your trips to the park ruined. On today's almanac, Jody will give us some practical tips to protect you and your family from ticks.

[Jody Green, Nebraska Extension Urban Entomologist]
One of the questions I get every year is, isn't it too early for ticks?

Well, the answer is no.

While snow is the best discourure of ticks, ticks can be active all year round, especially when it's above 50 degrees, and that snow cover has disappeared.

And we have several different species of ticks, all which can be found at different temperatures and times of the year.

So I'm here to tell you how to protect yourself, because we all want to be outside enjoying the weather.

So before you go outside, make sure you've got clothes that you can tuck in, you want to tuck your shirt into your pants, and it's not very stylish, but tuck your pants into your socks.

Ticks attach near the ground, on low vegetation.

They're down questing.

So ticks will attach low to the ground, and then they will climb upward.

This is why we often find ticks like the American dog ticks in the hair, on the scalp, close to the head.

So we want to always be checking those areas, especially for our children, who are out at recess and will soon be partaking in those school trips, those field trips outdoors.

For some of our older friends, who love to garden and walk dogs, we want to make sure we're checking them, or reminding them to check themselves and their pets.

I hear many stories of people not treating their pets with preventative until after Memorial Day, and that is far too late.

Ticks are out now, so we want to consult with our veterinarian and get our dogs on some kind of prevention, so that those ticks will be left outdoors, or if they do attach to your pet, that they will be killed before they get to you.

What you need to do, no matter what kind of repellents or per math or entreated clothes you wear, you still want to perform a really thorough tick check.

So after coming in from outdoors, you want to take a shower, as quick as you can, and check all those areas for ticks.

Take those clothes that you wore outside, and put them in a hot dryer, tumble them in there for 10 to 20 minutes, and that will kill any ticks hitchhiking in.

If you do find a tick.

And it is embedded.

We don't want to panic.

We want to remove those ticks as quick as possible, but also as safe as possibly.

Get a pointed tip tweezers, and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull straight back.

We want to make sure to get all the parts of the tick out and keep that tick for identification.

And if you feel any health effects and you feel sick, please see a doctor and tell them what type of tick you were bitten by.

We also have a local tick testing program, and if you want to send your ticks there to have it tested, you can do that as well.

That helps us collect data from the pathogens of the ticks in our local area, but should not be used as a diagnostic tool.

So get out there and enjoy the weather, but just make sure to check yourself.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]
As Jodi said, simple things like wearing clothing impregnated with insecticides, tucking your pants into your socks, applying some protection from products containing Diet, doing tick checks when you arrive home, and tossing your clothing in the dryer will all help you and your family members avoid ticks. For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Brad Mills. Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR media, and Nebraska Extension. For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
 

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Nebraska Extension Almanac.

For over 45 years, the Nebraska lead program has been developing leaders in the ag industry in helping them stay ahead of the changing landscape of policy, marketing, economics, and technology. Nebraska lead director, Kurtis Harms says a new class is forming for the upcoming year and encourages anyone in the ag industry to enroll for a great experience.

[Kurtis Harms, Nebraska LEAD Program Director]

The Nebraska lead program is a two-year leadership development program for farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals.

It is 18 months of in-state seminars exploring different agricultural systems, exploring state government, exploring agricultural policy, also followed up by a national seminar and an international seminar, truly designed to shape and develop those leaders in agriculture into the future.

We are currently actively looking for Nebraska lead Class 45.

We have 2 cohorts that are going on at the same time, and lead class 45 will start in the fall of 2026.

Our application deadline is June 15th.

So this really is that time that people that may have heard of the program, or maybe this is the 1st time that they're hearing about the program, should request information and to investigate whether or not they feel like this would be a good program for them.

We are looking, like I mentioned, for those individuals in agriculture, that are passionate about making a difference, passionate about serving in some sort of leadership capacity, whether that's at the local level.

You know, you're looking at school boards, church boards, community boards, those kinds of things, and in agriculture, commodity boards, you know, the cornboard, corn association, soybean board, all of the commodities have their their own groups.

But even in state governments, we have a US senator, that's a lead lead fellow.

And so we're really proud of our network and our alum that are serving in all aspects of leadership and we're looking for those people to continue on that legacy.

We are actively working with our fellows that are involved in the Nebraska lead program by exposing them to leaders in a variety of settings.

We are looking at those local issues.

We're exploring local agricultural policy.

We're exploring local community issues.

We're exploring our statewide issues.

And then at the end of year one, our fellows will take part in a 10 day national seminar where they will travel to Kansas City, Washington, DC and Chicago, where they'll start to look at more of the broader scope, looking at those regional agricultural systems, looking at our federal policy, looking at our national associations that are advocating on our behalf.

Then year two, they'll take part in additional seminars across the state of Nebraska and conclude that with a two-week international experience as well.

And these experience is typically involve 2 or 3 different countries where our fellows will explore what's going on across the globe.

We'll engage with different cultures, learning about our different customers or our different competitors that exist around the world, will understand leadership at a global perspective, understand issues like international trade, international agricultural policy, international ag systems, and conducting interviews with different farmers and ranchers across the world.

And this really opens our eyes of our fellows and gets them outside of their comfort zone, gets them outside of their own individual bubble that they may be used to.

You know, I can speak from experience.

You know, when I I came from a small town and before I started traveling a lot, I really was maybe a little bit narrow-minded.

You know, I had a good leadership foundation, but then once you start being exposed to other issues that you may not have thought of, putting yourself in other individual shoes, looking at things from the lens of someone else, you really are able to be a better leader, that's not to necessarily say that, you know, your, your, your, opinions or your, your values are going to change much, but you're able to work with people that maybe think differently than you a lot easier and you're able to compromise and you're able to find that common ground to help push the, the, the, needle and push the industry forward.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

For more information on the Nebraska lead program and to enroll in the upcoming class, go to lead.unl.edu. That's lead.unl.edu. For Nebraska Extension Almanac. I'm Brad Mills. Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media and Nebraska Extension. For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Nebraska Extension Almanac. Farmers and ranchers have always had a reputation for toughness and resiliency.Being able to survive environmental problems, volatile markets and sticking through all kinds of tough circumstances, has been the hallmarks of the ag industry. So asking for help carries a bit of stigma that is difficult to talk about. Extension educator Glennis McClure wants to change that and help farmers understand that everyone has stress, and there are healthy ways to deal with it.

[Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Educator]

Well, I think there has been a stigma in that, you know, I'm tough.

I'm going to get through it.

You know, I'm going to do it on my own kind of thing.

And I think that we've started to break down some of those barriers, though.

And because I just think back to a few years ago with the pandemic and how and how we saw a lot of different stresses during that time, and I think that we started to hear a lot more about resources and help available for folks that, um, you know, that are really experiencing stress.

But, so, and I, and I, you know, I think some of the messaging that Nebraska Extension has put out is that, you know, Nebraska really needs you, and it is really important to reach out.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Glennis says the university and extension offer resources to help farm families cope with stressful situations.

[Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Educator]

Recently, our Nebraska extension has, um, um, you know, I guess, brought up a disaster, uh, website disaster education website, and there's mental health and well-being information on that website now.

Um, and, you know, you mentioned the Nebraska rural response hotline.

That is really a great resource here in Nebraska.

In that, I like to always say that they do have vouchers for folks to seek some mental health counseling if needed.

So, because I know if, like, finances are really kind of tough and and we don't feel like we can afford to, you know, seek that help, they actually will provide some vouchers for folks to be able to visit with a mental health counselor.

And we shouldn't be afraid to do that.

Again.

Um, you know, it's really important to take care of ourselves and that's one of the things.

But also they also have provided some financial assistance.

And so that's a great resource, Nebraska rural response hotline.

Um, so you can call them and, you know, sort of get on their schedule if, if that's something that, um, sounds appealing.

You know, we do mention some of our other partners that university extension works with, and there's other universities that have put out, a lot of great information, but AgraSafe, has put out some information.

Um, there is some, um, some suicide, um, prevention trainings, and being able to recognize when someone's up against, you know, maybe maybe they've mentioned or thought about the suicide thing, and you mentioned that 988 number is really, really important, that if we ever know of anybody, or even ourselves, if we're thinking about that, you know, just talking with someone that's, you know, well prepared, that understands all of that, can help you through that, that 988 number is important.

But I want to mention that AgraSafe has provided, there's a program called QPR.

And so I mentioned that here in the article, and they've done some online trainings for folks.

And then there are other trainings that are available in the communities.

We have an extension educator that's trained a train facilitator in that.

So you can just kind of watch for when some of those programs are available and folks can learn more about how they can, you know, sort of help themselves, but also help others in their area and recognize some of those signs and symptoms of potential suicide.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Today's program was a portion of an interview taken from a recent farmcast podcast offered by UNL Center for Ag Profitability. To read the detailed article or download the entire interview, go to cap.unl.edu, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For Nebraska Extension Almanac. I'm Brad Mills. Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media and Nebraska Extension.

For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Nebraska Extension Almanac. Farming and ranching can be a quite stressful enterprise.

That is especially true during drought and wildfire damage that our state has recently experienced. Extension educator Glennis McClure talks about recognizing stress on today's almanac.

[Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Almanac]

Every so often, um, we see things, you know, out and about in the rural area of Nebraska of, you know, some things that are going on that can lend lend itself to stress.

And especially this year, we think about the wildfires and all that folks are dealing with with that.

In some cases, I can't imagine.

And also, we, you know, we're seeing this drought just kind of continue.

So much of Nebraska is under a drought.

And also, we knew going into 2026 that our input cost on crop production.

We a little higher.

We're going to be higher.

Commodity prices are low. At, you know, and they fluctuate, yes, of course, and it's a market we need to watch.

But we have now, fertilizer costs have jumped up.

We're seeing some of the pesticide costs coming up and fuel.

So there's just been a lot of things happening and some uncertainty.

You know, we have folks that are, you know, maybe financial, starting to see some finances and struggling with a bit of that too.

So, so anyway, we just want to be, um, try to be helpful with information on resources that can, uh, uh, we can provide to folks, um, put as much of a positive twist and some, um, suggestions out for people to pay attention to.

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Stress has a number of causes, some sudden like weather events like hail or flooding. Another source can slowly build up over time. When it says it's important to recognize what's happening, so you can find ways to deal with it.

[Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Educator]

I think in ourselves, There's sometimes different indicators, and we all deal with stress in a different way, really.

Sometimes we're affected more physically, you know, we might have, like, let's say our blood pressure goes up.

We might get sweaty palms, we might be more fatigued.

We might have nausea happening, shortness of breath.

So these are things that are physical, but then we also have our thoughts and our feelings.

Sometimes we just become angry.

Maybe we're feeling more depressed than, you know, than ever.

We just don't feel like doing what we've always done, kind of, and, you know, we don't have the energy, perhaps, to get out and to do the work that we need to do.

Maybe we're really nervous.

We might be overeating.

We might be undreating.

We might be, you know, interested in drinking more.

Maybe our sleep is affected.

So there's a lot of different things that can happen to us and that, so as we recognize that in ourselves.

But also, I think, you know, in a family, we can also kind of pay attention to those around us.

And, you know, do we see someone that's really struggling to sleep.

Do we see someone that seems to be very depressed?

Um, you know, just paying attention, watching for those signals, I think is really important.

And that's one of some of the things that we teach when we are talking about mending the stress fence or communicating with farmers under stress.

And part of it is too, trying to pay attention and really being a good listener, you might pick up different things.

And from folks.

And you can ask them, you know, how we are in passing a lot of times, how are you today?

And you might say, oh, I'm just fine.

I'm just fine, you know?

And so we just kind of shrug it off, you know, and I'm like here to say, you know, if you're struggling with anything.

Don't hesitate to talk with someone about that.

And also on the flip side, hopefully we can be a good listener and we can pick up on some of those cues that people might be providing about sort of what's going on in their life.

And it's good to ask some questions, not those yes, no questions, but more of those.

Really, how are you doing?

Can you tell me what's going on, you know, in your life right now?

[Brad Mills, Program Host]

Stay tuned to future programs where Glennis talks about healthy ways to deal with stressful situations on the farm. Today's program was a portion of an interview taken from a recent farmcast podcast offered by UNL Center for Ag Profitability. To read the detailed article, or download the entire interview, go to cap.unl.edu, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Brad Mills. Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media, and Nebraska Extension. For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.