by John McElveen, EdD, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance Director
Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance Director John McElveen, EdD, and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center Director of Special Programs Chris Scoggins, DrPH, presented at the 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo held October 15-17 in Moultrie.
The 2024 Expo, was the 48th iteration of the preeminent agricultural exposition in the Southern United States. The annual event drew more than 50,000 visitors — the vast majority of which are engaged in farming or agribusiness — and 1200 exhibitors. It provided opportunities to share, communicate, and present evidence of the mission of the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance (GAWA), to foster networks of well-being in Georgia agricultural communities through collaboration, education, research, and advocacy. GAWA, with support from the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC), and Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) were among the exhibitors.
The Expo was a setting for many conversations with farmers, farm family members, students, and other rural community members about farm stress and mental health. Given recent widespread catastrophic impacts, including more than $6 billion in agricultural damage from Hurricane Helene and unprecedented impacts upon pecan and timber farming, stress may well be at a historic high within much of the rural Georgia agriculture community. Therefore, the opportunity to discuss mental health and well-being resources available to members of communities experiencing or witnessing these challenges has never been more important.
GAWA was founded after a major study of Georgia farmer mental health; the study was led by GRHIC biostatistician Anne Montgomery, PhD, Stephanie Basey, PhD, who was a grad student during the study, et. al. GAWA was developed and is supported by GRHIC and the School of Medicine. Its purpose is to connect with representatives and organizations which are focused on supporting better health and well-being outcomes within our rural communities.
Substantive conversations with localized organizations and agencies, as well as statewide organizations including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia. Such interaction supports the flexible model for GAWA, which encourages interfacing and collaboration with existing organizations and agencies with compatible missions. The Expo also provided opportunities to connect with new or further develop relationships with existing organizations and agencies, such as various farm production commissions, Georgia Farm Bureau, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Dr. McElveen and Dr. Scoggins were invited to give talks in the rural health services building on the topics of GAWA’s mission and GRHIC’s rural health care programs, respectively. Audience members participated in question-and-answer sessions, allowing for additional engagement and information sharing. The sessions also led to additional interactions and discussions of future collaborations with fellow exhibitors.
The 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo proved to be a significant opportunity for the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance to spotlight its vision of a thriving, healthy, and safe agricultural community in Georgia while also expanding its community and organizational networks.
Pictured: Taliyah Henderson, Mercer University Rural Health Sciences PhD student and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center research assistant; John McElveen, EdD, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance director; and Chris Scoggins, DrPH, Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center director of special programs.