Today we exceeded our #HereForFarmers Indiegogo campaign target goal, and we could not be more grateful for your support and generosity.
It means a lot to us that our communities, both in agriculture and in tech, stand up to support farmers’ mental health.
This all began from a long drive. We were on our way to Red Deer for Agri-Trade, and we did what many would do during a road trip: talking. And we talked – a lot – 12 hours straight actually. Somewhere along Highway 1, our conversations turned into a discussion about the disconnect between food producer and consumer.
That was the moment we came up with the idea of our t-shirt design. For awhile, we kept this idea on the back burner.
Farm stress has always been a topic of concern – as a farmer, I have seen it, and I have lived it. I have always felt there was something more we could do, but I never knew what. A few months later when we learned about yet another suicide on a farm that we decided our t-shirts were that something. We could not stand idly by anymore.
We launched this #HereForFarmers campaign just a few weeks ago and are overwhelmed with the amount of support both from the agriculture and technology communities. We heard plenty of personal stories and appreciate those who have come forward to share theirs.
We also want to thank FBC and FarmLink Marketing Solutions who have stepped up as corporate sponsors for this campaign. The topics of farm stress and mental health are often avoided due to the stigma they carry. We are thankful to see other ag businesses support our fight to rid the industry of that stigma and support our farmers who are out there growing and raising all that we consume.
This campaign is only a small step towards starting the conversation about mental health and providing resources to those who need it the most, when they need it the most — but it’s a start. And we could not have been happier to know you are with us in supporting this cause.
Let’s keep this going!
Kim Keller (@kimkkeller)
Co-Founder, Farm At Hand
Thanks to our corporate sponsors for the support!
