With the growing season upon us, life is about to get incredibly busy for farmers across Canada. With the hectic pace of farming comes the pressure to juggle many aspects of running a business — and sometimes one of the first balls to drop is caring for our mental health. In honour of Mental Health... Read More
Category: Health & Wellness
It is true that mental illness can be incredibly difficult to see compared to a broken leg or an open wound, for example. But just like any other illness or health challenge, there are sometimes outward signs of mental health that can be observed by others. Deb VanBerkel is the chief programming officer for the... Read More
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced nearly half a million in federal and provincial funding for the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program (MFWP) while at Ag Days in Brandon this week. The grassroots non-profit organization, which started providing free counselling to farmers and farm families in 2022, will receive $450 thousand over... Read More
It's okay to struggle and it's okay to ask for help. Those are just two of the messages that Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Tyler Smith shared with an auditorium packed with Ontario Agricultural Conference attendees last week at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown campus. It was April 6, 2018 when a bus carrying the... Read More
Across Canada, 24/7 and for no charge, those looking for help during a mental crisis can dial or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, for a fast, focused response to their emergency. Supported by three-years of federal funding and offered in French and English, 9-8-8 will connect people in crisis or those caring for them... Read More
The governments of Canada and Ontario are committing more than $8 million to support the mental health and wellness of farmers and their families. With this commitment, three programs — the Farmer Wellness Initiative, the In the Know program and the Guardian Network — will continue to be available to everyone who needs them. These... Read More
What does black electrical tape have to do with protecting your state of mind at harvest? For Megz Reynolds, during a particularly bad harvest, covering up the yield monitor with it was a small boundary she set to help ease her mind and focus on the task at hand. It may seem small, but small... Read More
If you picture someone born without arms and legs, chances are you go straight to thinking about the physical challenges. There's no doubt that Chris Koch, a farmer from Nanton, Alta., has faced physical challenges, but that hasn't stopped him from chasing his dreams and becoming a farmer. Koch says there have been times when... Read More
The Do More Agriculture Foundation (Do More Ag) has launched AgTalk, powered by Togetherall. The 24/7 peer support platform will be accessible across the entire Canadian agriculture industry, equipped with bilingual clinical moderation for open discussions on mental health. Do More Ag says anyone 16 and older can connect, share, and receive support from a... Read More
Canadian farmers feel relatively stable and positive about their farms' current financial outlook, even in the face of declining commodity markets, according to the March Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index. Last month, the RealAgristudies Insights Panel was surveyed a fourth time since September 2022 on their opinions and overall sentiment on a number of critical agricultural... Read More