Jaime Jerrels on Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s First-Ever Statewide Mental Health Report

Season 5: Episode 212
 
In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Jaime Jerrels, Senior Director of Policy and Outreach at the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, to discuss one of the most powerful and overlooked challenges in agriculture today: farmer mental health. Florida Farm Bureau, in partnership with UF/IFAS and the Mind Your Melon Foundation, has released its first-ever statewide mental health report—and the findings are deeply personal, alarming, and a call to action.

Jaime brings more than just her professional insights to the conversation. Raised on a peanut and cattle farm in Levy County and now raising five children on that same land with her husband, she speaks from the heart—both as a policy advocate and as a woman of faith. Her passion for standing in the gap for farmers who often carry the weight of the world in silence is rooted in her belief that agriculture is more than an industry—it’s a mission field.

The conversation goes far beyond statistics, touching on hurricanes, financial stress, isolation, and the unique burdens of rural life. Jaime shares her firm belief that faith, prayer, and community can bring healing and strength where it’s needed most. She encourages struggling producers to lean on their relationship with God, seek out trusted connections, and remember that telehealth and other support tools are available—and confidential.

Chrissy and Jaime also explore the critical role churches, Farm Bureau, and peer-to-peer relationships play in restoring connection and hope to those silently struggling.

Learn more and view the full 2025 Mind Your Melon Farmer Wellbeing Survey at: https://www.floridafarmbureau.org

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Transcript

00:00:07:13 - 00:00:28:24
Chrissy Wozniak
Hi, and welcome to North American Spotlight. I'm Chrissy Wozniak. This episode shines a light on a challenge that many in our industry face. But few talk openly about mental health and farming. The Florida Farm Bureau Federation has just released its first ever statewide mental health report, conducted in collaboration with UFS center for leadership and the Mind Your Melon Foundation.

00:00:29:01 - 00:01:03:06
Chrissy Wozniak
This survey is sounding the alarm on the emotional toll that hurricanes, financial pressures and really the daily stress of farming are taking on Florida producers. Today's guest is leading the charge on this issue. Jamie Gerald's senior director of policy and outreach at Florida Farm Bureau. She spent over a decade in agriculture policy. She's now using her voice, her platform and her deep roots in Florida agriculture to advocate for better access to mental health resources and to break the stigma surrounding farmer well-being.

00:01:03:08 - 00:01:09:19
Chrissy Wozniak
So let's dive into this important topic with Jamie. Welcome, Jamie, and thanks so much for being here today.

00:01:09:21 - 00:01:14:21
Jaime Jerrels
Oh, it's my absolute pleasure. Thank you for shining a light on a really important issue.

00:01:14:23 - 00:01:17:13
Chrissy Wozniak
So tell me a bit about your background.

00:01:17:15 - 00:01:43:13
Jaime Jerrels
Yeah, absolutely. My name is Jamie Generals. I was raised on a small rural community and on a farm in Levy County. I was heavily involved in the FFA in high school, and that culminated with a year of service as a Florida FFA state officer, after graduation. It was during that, as I say, state officer year, that I realized how I wanted to channel my passion for production agriculture.

00:01:43:15 - 00:02:06:21
Jaime Jerrels
My small family farm wasn't big enough to sustain two families. And being profitable. Therefore, I determined that I wanted to represent my dad. I wanted to be his voice. And I wanted to be the farmer in the field. You know, I wanted to be the voice for the farmer in the field. A lot of our farmers and ranchers are one man shows or one woman shows.

00:02:06:23 - 00:02:32:18
Jaime Jerrels
You know, they they do everything from work in the office to drive the tractor all day, to check the cows themselves. So they don't have the time to advocate for themselves or to be their voice, and voice their areas of concerns or issues. And by God's grace and his timing, I was placed at Florida Farm Bureau working in policy for an organization whose motto is to be the Voice of Agriculture.

00:02:32:20 - 00:02:49:19
Jaime Jerrels
So I felt like that was my sign from the Lord that I was in the right place. That I was truly, doing my my life's work. And what he had placed me on this earth to do. I am now the voice for my dad. But not only my dad, but my husband as well, who's a full time rancher.

00:02:49:21 - 00:03:15:00
Jaime Jerrels
And then all Florida farmers and ranchers. Currently, my husband and I live on our family's farm in Levy County. The farm that I grew up on. My husband's a full time rancher. We run crossbred and purebred cattle cow calf operation. And we, have leased pastures in Levy, Marion and Hillsborough County. We also raised five children on that farm.

00:03:15:00 - 00:03:34:09
Jaime Jerrels
So we like to joke that we raise cattle and kids. But yeah, I just I grew up with the passion for production, agriculture. And of blessed have been blessed to find a place in policy that I can advocate and be a voice for those who who can't be a voice for themselves.

00:03:34:11 - 00:03:47:13
Chrissy Wozniak
Well that's amazing. I love it. Yeah. So let's start with the big picture. Why? Why was now the right time to launch Florida's first comprehensive farmer mental health survey?

00:03:47:15 - 00:04:11:15
Jaime Jerrels
That's a great question. You know, I having worked in policy for over a decade, I know firsthand that it takes the right people in the right place at the right time, for things to be actionable, and successful. And therefore, when American Farm Bureau announced a year ago, their president announced a year ago that they were starting the Farm State of Mind initiative.

00:04:11:17 - 00:04:36:15
Jaime Jerrels
We knew that we wanted to take a leadership role in that space on the American Farm Bureau was approaching State Farm Bureaus to conduct research in their own states about this topic of mental well-being in farming and ranching and in rural communities. And it we were approached, by several people in Florida, that also wanted to partner in this space.

00:04:36:15 - 00:05:00:06
Jaime Jerrels
And so we were blessed with the dream Team. We have a UF researcher at the time, Doctor Kerry Baker, who did our survey and all, compiled all of our research results. She has a background in production, agriculture. She had a passion for this topic. She had been personally impact in her family, had been personally impacted, by a mental health case.

00:05:00:06 - 00:05:22:12
Jaime Jerrels
And so it was it was near and dear to her heart. And really, a lot of our team was led by heart in this topic. Also a UF researcher that was on our team was Doctor Sarah Bush, who was the graduate advisor for Kerry. While she was doing her research. And then we had the partnership with us, ISIS center for leadership, with Christie Shkreli at the helm.

00:05:22:14 - 00:05:51:12
Jaime Jerrels
They really assisted us, with funding, in a partnership as well for oversight and then the Minder Mellon Foundation. Friends of mine, dear friends of mine and active Farm Bureau members Marshall and Taylor. So, are the founding members of the Mindray Mellon Foundation, focused around mental well-being and mental health and farming and ranching. And then finally, on our team, Jared Lanier, and myself at Farm Bureau kind of culminated that team.

00:05:51:14 - 00:06:19:01
Jaime Jerrels
And we really had the right people who were passionate about this topic. With the right network of how to disseminate this information across the state, and their resources to get responses from the true community that we needed to get actionable results from this survey. So, again, the first of its kind in Florida, we wanted to break that ceiling of silence, of talking about this topic.

00:06:19:03 - 00:06:28:14
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. That's great. And to you, the most surprising, or concerning results about, the survey.

00:06:28:16 - 00:06:57:03
Jaime Jerrels
Sure. I would say a precursor to that is I think what we have to take in mind is the survey responses for this were received within three months in the fall of 2024. And if you recall, we also experienced three back to back hurricanes during that timeline. And so, we kind of had to take into account that that was a very stressful time for Florida farmers and ranchers.

00:06:57:05 - 00:07:22:11
Jaime Jerrels
And so the results showed that, right? Almost 67% of respondents reported feeling sad or depressed at least once in the past three months of taking the survey. So 67% of those actively involved in farming and ranching were feeling depressed. And we know that that that's a precursor of suicide ideation. And so that was a definite wake up call.

00:07:22:13 - 00:07:55:17
Jaime Jerrels
I think what gave us resolve in the results were that of those 67% that were feeling depressed or sad, 9% of them, only 9% of them had suicidal thoughts at least once in the past three months. While 9% is a scary number for these respondents, and it's definitely a number we need to pay attention to. We also felt as if our reaction to that number needed to be positive and proactive.

00:07:55:19 - 00:08:16:06
Jaime Jerrels
It was going to give us the ability to play offense in a space that agriculture hardly ever gets to play offense, right? We're putting out the next fire. We're being very reactive to any issue or new regulation that comes upon us, or a weather event. Things that are out of our control most of the time. But we felt at Florida Farm Bureau.

00:08:16:08 - 00:08:39:08
Jaime Jerrels
And with this team that with a number like 9%, we had the ability to be proactive and play offense and provide farmers and ranchers with the tools to manage their stress. To, you know, to reduce that 9% number and hope that we can get them support before thoughts of suicide ideation occur.

00:08:39:10 - 00:09:04:11
Chrissy Wozniak
And, and, I also live in Florida and can attest to the stress that comes when there's a hurricane bearing down on you. And, you know, we, went through Ian as a family and, with the direct hit. So even just with our just a house and my quarter acre garden, you know, having to redo everything is just it's monumental.

00:09:04:13 - 00:09:29:12
Chrissy Wozniak
And knowing a lot of, producers in Florida that have gone through multiple hurricanes, this is just a not just real, but it's, it's just monumental to overcome, even with just waiting. You know, those days when they first announce a hurricane and it's coming toward you and you have to prepare? That feeling is just awful. What kind of tools?

00:09:29:12 - 00:09:43:17
Chrissy Wozniak
Like what? You know, what do you say to those producers that are are handling that stress, especially beforehand, as, you know, as this year, they're saying it's going to be another active hurricane year. What are some of those tools?

00:09:43:19 - 00:10:07:17
Jaime Jerrels
Yeah. You know, the thing about Florida and being surrounded on three sides by water is it's not if it's when we're going to be hit by natural disaster, hurricanes being, you know, the number one. You know, and the the impact of a hurricane is just the start of a snowball effect. On the mental well-being of farmers and ranchers.

00:10:07:17 - 00:10:35:18
Jaime Jerrels
You know, it's beyond the physical destruction. You know, the flattened crops or the ruined infrastructure. It's also a prolonged period of uncertainty with, you know, economic uncertainty, with market volatility. It's emotional stress and you're being, you know, dislocated from the community that you may rely on to talk through this stress. You know, farmers and ranchers livelihoods are tied directly to the land.

00:10:35:20 - 00:11:02:00
Jaime Jerrels
Therefore, the loss of physical things is not it's not just financial. It's also deeply personal. And, you know, with every storm becomes that fear of the devastation, but also the dread of repeated trauma. Rebuilding efforts can take months or even years. And for many, any of the assistance from insurance or federal aid fall deeply short of making them whole.

00:11:02:02 - 00:11:35:07
Jaime Jerrels
You know, debt amount amounts. And then you also have your yields dwindle. Feelings of helplessness set in, anxiety and depression set in. And that's all compounded because in rural areas and with farmers and ranchers, often if they're struggling with mental well-being, it's seen as a sign of weakness. And so what we want to do is talk more about this topic so that I feel open to reaching out for support.

00:11:35:09 - 00:12:02:20
Jaime Jerrels
And the results of this survey really showed us that, you know, it's it's the, it's natural disasters and weather events that call stress. It's, you know, saving for retirement, market volatility, balancing home and work life, lack of public understanding of agriculture. You know, all of those are tough stressors. But what you notice is a commonality is all of those are things that are uncontrollable, right.

00:12:02:20 - 00:12:38:23
Jaime Jerrels
The that the farmer has hardly any control over. And then on the flip side of that, we've got the top stressors in the data. But what we have what's the actionable parts of the survey is this supports systems that farmers and ranchers prefer, water resources that they're actually going to take advantage of. And what the research shown us is that a community, a network of people to listen to them, whether that's reaching out through a social or recreational group or whether that's counseling through clergy or their church.

00:12:39:00 - 00:13:13:06
Jaime Jerrels
They also told us in the survey that they would be open to a telehealth appointment, a counseling through telehealth or consultation. And what they really would not take advantage of on the other, other side is a farmer specific hotline or outpatient health services. Anything that they have to go in person for and be seen. And then so what we want to do at Farm Bureau is we want to communicate to them that, you know, joining Florida Farm Bureau and our association gives you a community of people to support you.

00:13:13:08 - 00:13:40:16
Jaime Jerrels
Gives you a network of friends and community support that you can reach out to and talk to and that people would really understand, because they've been there themselves, you know, it really speaks all of this really speaks to the existing programing that Florida Farm Bureau has. We just want to ensure that when we're planning our in-person events that we're considering these topics for your breakout sessions or your guest speakers.

00:13:40:16 - 00:13:59:13
Jaime Jerrels
You know, we've had Marshall Soul with the Mind Your Melon Foundation speak at our annual meeting. You know, we've had him speak at our Young Farmers Interest Conference, just bringing light to this topic and making it, a consistent topic of conversation. So that more people are comfortable.

00:13:59:15 - 00:14:25:21
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, that's really good. And I have to also point out that, the telehealth, especially is such a great tool. And I'll just tell a personal story from when I was younger, my dad always suffered from chronic depression. So this is a very, Yes. So, you know, very close to my heart issue. And, and at one point, for myself and my siblings didn't know what to do, and we knew he was going to take his life.

00:14:25:23 - 00:14:49:11
Chrissy Wozniak
So I actually called one of those numbers, and they step by step, guided me through what we needed to do and where we needed to take him. And they got it hit like that, did save his life. And, he's passed out now. He has cancer many years later. But, you know, I, I owe, you know, an extra ten years of his life, too, because of the telehealth.

00:14:49:11 - 00:15:06:22
Chrissy Wozniak
It's instant. So people should remember, even if you're not the one suffering from depression, that those family members around you, you know, just keep in mind, there are those resources. You can call somebody who knows what to do, even when you feel like you have no idea, and you are so out of control of the situation.

00:15:06:24 - 00:15:42:08
Jaime Jerrels
Thank you so much for sharing, Chrissy, and for being transparent with your personal experience. I think personally, that that's what's been the most surprising about spending time in this topic is that no matter who you talk to when you discuss this topic, they have been touched by mental illness in some way, shape or form. If it's not like an immediate family member like you, Chrissy, it's it's a family member somewhere down the line, or it's a close family friend, or it's someone of your church, you know, it's there's so many examples out there of how we've all been personally touched.

00:15:42:08 - 00:16:09:04
Jaime Jerrels
You know, suicide is in is in my family. You know, I had a great uncle, you know, take his life. And I had heard my grandparents talk about that growing up as a child. And, and thankfully, I had a family that talked about it, you know, and were open about the struggles that he faced. And but a lot of people don't they really don't spend the time to explain that and explain, you know, how a person gets to that point, what can be done.

00:16:09:04 - 00:16:32:08
Jaime Jerrels
And and so that's the goal, right? That to, to make people feel comfortable about sharing their stories. And we know people share 101 way more than they will share in an open setting. Right? You form a relationship with someone or a connection and they're going to open up more and share. And that's what sort of, bureau membership gives them.

00:16:32:10 - 00:16:36:24
Jaime Jerrels
Is, is that those people, that community, that relationship.

00:16:37:01 - 00:17:02:08
Chrissy Wozniak
You know, that that is so important. And even though we're more connected these days, it seems like we're more alone and that's why I was happy to see in the report to, you know, the this community focus and whether that's your church, whether that's for the Farm Bureau. We really have to go back to, you know, not just, you know, sitting on Facebook arguing or Twitter or whatever.

00:17:02:10 - 00:17:31:19
Chrissy Wozniak
But I think especially true is, you know, and I think I'm seeing a bit of a resurgence back to the church. Our church is growing and it's it's, that's one very important place, you know, to have, a group, a community surrounded, surrounding you, but also focused on something higher than ourselves. And, yeah, I just think that that's amazing that that was also included in the report to.

00:17:31:21 - 00:17:53:11
Jaime Jerrels
Absolutely. You know, and our, our team in synthesizing the data afterwards. You know, we we were so proud of the work that we did. And we're thinking of long term actionable items and how we could work together, to create real change in this space. And all of us are parents. And so, the majority of us are parents.

00:17:53:11 - 00:18:16:03
Jaime Jerrels
And so we also think of it through that lens, you know, and, our pastor at my family's church, mentioned in a recent sermon that, you know, it used to be that if the father would bring the family to church, you could save the family, but really, and that probably is still the case today. But he's seeing the transition to if the child brings the family to church, it will.

00:18:16:03 - 00:18:19:06
Jaime Jerrels
It has saved the family and I that was just.

00:18:19:07 - 00:18:20:14
Chrissy Wozniak
Isn't that crazy?

00:18:20:16 - 00:18:54:22
Jaime Jerrels
It it really was. And I have five children, you know, and it it really is true. When you have a child get on fire for Jesus, it changes your entire family. And so I just think about this topic in this space of children as well, and including our, efforts into educating children about this space and talking about this topic more so and, you know, mind your Melon Foundation has a book that they've recently released, a children's book about mental well-being.

00:18:54:22 - 00:19:14:17
Jaime Jerrels
And, you know, just making sure that it's a comprehensive approach. It's not just focusing on our farmers and ranchers who are, you know, in their 60s, the average age, you know, an American farmer, is of that age, but also focusing on your young farmers and ranchers and focusing on our children because they are the sustainability of agriculture.

00:19:14:19 - 00:19:28:04
Jaime Jerrels
Right. You know, if you gave one definition to the sustainability of agriculture, it's our use. Because without our youth going into farming and ranching, we don't exist. And so we need to keep them in mind to, for the future.

00:19:28:06 - 00:19:41:01
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. For sure. And, and as somebody who spent over a decade in policy, when you're putting all of this together, has your approach to advocating for farmers changed in light of the findings at all?

00:19:41:03 - 00:20:25:18
Jaime Jerrels
It's a good question. I don't know that it's changed my approach. I will think that it has solidified some of the strategies that we have implemented in the past. I mentioned before, right people, right place, right time. And that was no more clear for me than in. And then this effort, if it had not been for Kerry Baker and her efforts in research, and her tenacity in completing this project, it wouldn't have happened, you know, if it hadn't been for Mind Your Melon and their network in this in mental health in that space, it would have never happened had not been for Florida Farm Bureau is financial support and in-kind donation

00:20:25:18 - 00:20:51:01
Jaime Jerrels
of staff time to this. It wouldn't have happened. So that is that is how we approach policy implementation as well. You know, you have to have all of those three things in place, but also you have to speak to the intrinsic motivations of a decision maker. You know, we all have our own passions. We all have our own purposes in life and things that we want to accomplish.

00:20:51:03 - 00:21:10:06
Jaime Jerrels
And how we give back to the greater good. And a lot of times, we have to ensure that Florida Farm Bureau's policies align with that. And then the elected official, you know, if it means something to them, it means something to us. We're going to be the right people in the right place, and then we just have to get the right time, put together.

00:21:10:08 - 00:21:34:11
Jaime Jerrels
So I think it just reiterated some of our strategies. I do, and I think you mentioned accuracy. Is it it has made me realize that we need to get back to that in-person communication. We do a lot of things through technology, and I'm grateful for it. It makes us much more efficient, and sometimes productive.

00:21:34:11 - 00:22:00:15
Jaime Jerrels
But meaningful conversations on really hard topics don't happen electronically. They only happen when one is comfortable in a setting. And that oftentimes is on farm. Right. And in a topic this tough, they have to be in their in their comfort zone to be able to open up about a topic. And so we have to go to them.

00:22:00:15 - 00:22:22:15
Jaime Jerrels
Right? We have to meet them where they are to talk about really tough topics. And so that is just reinvigorated our efforts on farm tours, which we do a plethora of. But getting people back to the farm level, getting elected officials, officials back to the farm level to firsthand experience it, it's great.

00:22:22:17 - 00:22:43:18
Chrissy Wozniak
If you could say one thing directly to nation's producers, because all of these issues aren't just Florida. These are across across the nation. And if you could, if you could say one thing directly to them listening right now and those who may be quietly struggling, what would it be?

00:22:43:20 - 00:22:44:21
Chrissy Wozniak
Oh.

00:22:44:23 - 00:22:51:10
Jaime Jerrels
That's a tough question.

00:22:51:12 - 00:23:16:10
Jaime Jerrels
I'm going to try not to be too religious on this one. And you might have to edit this response for, but, if there was a farmer or rancher struggling today with thoughts of depression, sadness, suicide, ideology, or really just having a bad day, you know, and you don't want to put a label on your feelings.

00:23:16:12 - 00:23:46:08
Jaime Jerrels
But but it just feels like things are crashing around or around you, and nothing is going right. I would say that first and foremost, you have to remind yourself that you're a child of God and that the blood of Jesus runs through your body. And so you were stronger than even yourself. Realizes, number one. I would encourage them to reach out to the Lord with a personal relationship in a conversation through prayer.

00:23:46:10 - 00:24:18:18
Jaime Jerrels
And then I would encourage them to seek out those closest to them. The people closest to them are going to have a heart for them because they have a personal relationship. And when they tell you they listen, or if they promise you they will pray, you know, without a shadow of a doubt that they will. You know, I've been through personal experiences in my life with my children that we needed significant prayer, you know, and so many will people will tell you, I'll pray for you.

00:24:18:18 - 00:24:40:10
Jaime Jerrels
I'll pray for your son. I'll pray for you. But there are those select amount of people in your life that you knew, without a shadow of a doubt that they would, that you could count on them to pray for you. And it's the people that didn't just ask if you needed help, they show up anyway. They do it anyway.

00:24:40:12 - 00:25:10:03
Jaime Jerrels
And so I would encourage those people, if they're feeling having any of those thoughts, to reach out to that knit group of people that small relationship or community that they have, reach out to them directly first, because you're going to feel most comfortable with them. But also if if you feel ashamed because you're having these thoughts, realize that there are resources for you that you can utilize that no one will know about.

00:25:10:05 - 00:25:28:15
Jaime Jerrels
No one, no one has to know that you've called a telehealth line that can be completely confidential. No one has to know that you go in person to talk with someone you know, you may you may not want to do it in your home community because you're fearful of someone, might know you or know someone who knows you, right?

00:25:28:15 - 00:25:50:02
Jaime Jerrels
We all live in rural communities, really small amounts of people. But you go to a neighboring city, you know, or, you have a telehealth appointment with someone that you've met in person. You don't have to go within your home town or the nearest city to you. You know, you can go elsewhere or have that telehealth visit and keep it completely confidential.

00:25:50:04 - 00:26:23:08
Jaime Jerrels
You know, if a hotline works for you, you can call 988 at any time, any place, in any state of wellbeing, and call them to talk to someone immediately that is there. But I just I encourage them to do that themselves. But I also encourage everyone listening to be the people to help those in need. Be the type of person that is approachable for something of this magnitude.

00:26:23:10 - 00:26:46:07
Jaime Jerrels
You know, you always say you're either the person on the carpet that they're holding up or you're holding the corner, right. You're holding a corner of the carpet that's holding everyone up, or you're the person sitting on the carpet, you know, being one of those people, you know, and it it will change. You will either be a person holding up a corner of the carpet, you know, to help them in their time of need, or you're the person who needs to sit on the carpet.

00:26:46:07 - 00:27:07:09
Jaime Jerrels
It's one of the two. And don't ask. Just do, don't ask. If they need help, just show up and do it. And that's in my personal experience when I went through Taos, you know, trials and tribulations is it's those people that showed up even when I didn't ask. I want to be that type of person. And I would encourage everyone to do that as well.

00:27:07:11 - 00:27:19:11
Chrissy Wozniak
You know, that's great advice. And it leads me to my last question. Why do you do what you do? What did God put you on this earth to accomplish? Yeah, you're obviously a bright light.

00:27:19:13 - 00:27:37:20
Jaime Jerrels
Oh my gosh, that's probably one of my favorite topics. I talk a lot to high school students that are interested or college students interested in, in policy. And, you know, they all enter it for different reasons. I've talked a little bit about why I entered policy. It's because I wanted to be the voice of the farmer in the field.

00:27:37:22 - 00:28:04:05
Jaime Jerrels
I wanted to represent them at meetings that they were not in. You know, there's the old saying, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. And so I very much am a proponent of that. Like, you have to be sitting around the table involved in the discussions, to be represented and to create change, positive change at the farm level.

00:28:04:07 - 00:28:23:23
Jaime Jerrels
And so I get to be that person. I get to be that person that sits in rooms, where the farmer might not be the favorite person. The farmer may be being attacked. And I get, you know, to tactfully and respectfully represent them. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm really passionate about production, agriculture and, grew up.

00:28:23:23 - 00:29:03:11
Jaime Jerrels
I grew up in it. I'm in it today personally with my, my husband's business and owning cattle. But I do what I do because without agriculture, we have no future. Agriculture sustains us in every way, shape and form. And therefore without it, we will become dependent on other countries. You know, agriculture is a national, national security issue if we're not able to support ourselves, the food, fiber, fuel and resources that come from agriculture, then we will be dependent on others and that becomes a national security issue.

00:29:03:11 - 00:29:26:02
Jaime Jerrels
And so the future of agriculture is really important to me. That's why I invest a lot of time in youth activities through, as I say, for each and others, because we have to get more students involved in this industry to help it be sustainable. But I do what I do because I want to be the voice for those who don't have a voice.

00:29:26:04 - 00:29:39:01
Chrissy Wozniak
It's very honorable and it's so great to talk to you. Thank you so much. I'm, I'm very excited about this. You know, about this mission and, just. Yeah, really grateful that you would join me today.

00:29:39:03 - 00:30:02:10
Jaime Jerrels
Know that. Thanks all to you, Christy. And for, again, taking time to talk with me, and to learning more about the survey results. For those listening who have not reviewed the results, I would encourage you to visit Florida Farm Bureau website and demand your Melon Farmer Well-Being survey. You can peruse the results for yourself. There's a high level executive summary that's easily digestible.

00:30:02:12 - 00:30:07:09
Jaime Jerrels
And we hope that you will all consider becoming involved using.

00:30:07:11 - 00:30:26:11
Chrissy Wozniak
Well, thank you so much and thanks to all who are watching or listening. If you want to learn more, all the links are provided in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe to North American Egg Spotlight on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Listen Notes if you prefer video, you can find us on Rumble or our website. And, really wherever you listen to podcasts, if you like this episode, I'd love it if you shared it.

00:30:26:13 - 00:30:30:08
Chrissy Wozniak
Have a great day!