How does the ACI educate the legislators who are making decisions that impact the agriculture industry? Melissa Rekewag joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Melissa is the President and CEO of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana (ACI).

Melissa will share about her extensive background in agriculture and what ultimately led to her the ACI and her appearance on The High Ground podcast. We’ll learn about the makeup of ACI, which is the largest trade association for agribusinesses in Indiana, and ultimately how it impacts state policies and the grower. Melissa will also share how the ACI helps educate policy makers and is able to voice concerns of businesses in a way that’s not connected to the business itself. Finally, Melissa, Sal, and Jeff will discuss the Emerging Professionals Leadership Program (EPLP) which is a year-long program designed to help individuals expand their experience in and knowledge of policy and leadership in the agriculture industry.

Interested in seeing what it might look like to join the ACI? Visit https://www.inagribiz.org/ for more information.

Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “He’s a typical farmer. He’s built tough and will just power through.” Well, maybe it’s time for this image to go. Special guest Kathy Walker joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Kathy has a degree from Purdue University in health promotion and is the Program Director for the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) who handles the programming for Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives.

Kathy will share about how she ended up working for IRHA and specifically, how she began working with growers and ag businesses in the areas of mental health and suicide.In addition to her QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, you’ll learn how Kathy is equipped to help employers by providing training to assist and refer employees and growers in navigating mental health and stress issues. “Farmers… [are] a demographic that has a high rate of suicide… Yeah, they’re strong, self-sufficient… but they’re also human beings, and we all have our limits.”

If you’re struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to the Purdue Farm Stress team which is a group of professionals who are equipped to resource growers with tools, programs, and additional resources to help handle the day-to-day stresses growers face. You can find out more information about the Purdue Farm Stress team at https://extension.purdue.edu/farm_stress/index.html.

How is the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program (ALP) working to provide individuals in agriculture and related industries with the leadership skill needed to help them succeed? Luke Schnitker joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. As you may remember, Luke has been an account manager for Premier and is now their Director of Seed and Crop Protection.

Jeff, Sal, and Luke will discuss AgrIInstitute which has been in place since 1982 and exists to help create educational and charitable programs in areas related to agriculture. Luke will share specifically about a program that he’s been participating in called the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program and the experiences and opportunities it’s provided including an agriculture-based trip to Africa. In addition to learning about the cocoa industry and infrastructure in Ghana, we’ll hear about agriculture in Kenya which is a key contributor to their economy. If you’ve been curious about the opportunities that exist to advance in agriculture, you’re going to want to make sure you tune in!