701-566-9300Held annually since the early 1990s, the International Legislator’s Forum (ILF) gathers state and provincial legislators from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba and for the first time, Saskatchewan to discuss common problems. It is run by the Consensus Council (which is housed in North Dakota) whose mission is as follows from their website, agree.org: “We convene and facilitate groups using the consensus model of decision-making, which ensures a safe space and inclusive forum where all voices are valued and heard. Civil discourse, reflective listening, strengthening relationships, building empathy, and repairing harm all are critical to our mission.” Should you wish to view the agenda or learn more, their website is agree.org.
Having attended five years or so as a senator and six on behalf of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association (NDSGA), I understand what a valuable conference it is in terms of both building relationships and learning about the issues. The issue which gathered the most interest and participation was mental health. Many of the legislators are farmers and may not have been surprised that the key speaker on this issue stated that agricultural producers commit suicide at about twice the rate of other occupations. Mankato State Professor Thad Shunkwiler is a licensed behavioral health provider with more than 10 years of experience treating rural Minnesotans with mental health and substance abuse problems. He is one of the leading researchers in the country exploring what he calls the “mental health treatment gap.” That is the difference between demands for behavioral health treatment versus the number of providers available to help. There are waiting lists in all states which stretch for weeks and months. This is important for legislators to hear and engage with because they are in positions to make changes for funding to increase growing that segment of professionals. He did not go into the many reasons why farmers are more prone to be suicidal, but we can all come up with many including financial pressures, vagaries of the weather, the isolated nature of being your own boss, and many others.
Having just returned from this four-day assignment, I can tell you that the opportunities to spend casual and important time with legislators from both houses and parties are unparalleled.