“What would you share if nobody knew who you were?”
Merle Massie, executive director of DoMoreAg, posed that question during a recent presentation about mental health in agriculture.
Lots of people strike up conversations with strangers during plane rides or trips, she said, and those strangers can become safe places to share.
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That’s what AgTalk is — an anonymous and safe space for people 16 and older to receive peer support. It’s one of several platforms DoMoreAg provides as it continues to focus on awareness and action in the industry.
WHY IT MATTERS: Mental health in agriculture continues to be a concern as farmers face more pressure, isolation and financial uncertainty.
What is AgTalk?
AgTalk is powered by Togetherall, a peer-to-peer space, and available to anyone in Canada associated with agriculture.
Massie said the online, anonymous service can help those who don’t have family or community members they can talk comfortably with about some heavy topics.
“When you sign up, they give you a whole new name,” she said recently at Canada’s Farm Show in Regina.
“They do have your actual phone number and know where you live. This is important, just in case they need to send 911 to you.”
However, she said this would only be activated in a critical situation.
AgTalk is more like quiet support, she said. It’s text-based on a computer or a phone and even offers a way for people to draw how they feel.
“You can read what other people are facing,” Massie said.
“It helps you feel less alone, and you can share your story only if you want to.”
She said there is a lot of power in being a “regular person” sharing and listening to others.
Togetherall has other communities, such as those for first responders or those going through divorce.
There is a course available as well as curated articles, self-assessment and goal trackers.
Who is using AgTalk
Massie shared statistics from a 2025 report that showed 73 per cent of people who joined AgTalk are not engaged in formal mental health support, meaning AgTalk is the only one.
“Thirty-eight per cent of them report past thoughts of suicide or self-harm. These people are not feeling well,” she said.
“Eighty per cent reported their mental health as poor or very poor, and 42 per cent said that they shared something on Togetherall that they’ve never shared with anyone else.”
The statistics show people of all ages have joined.
Support outside business hours
Most of the activity on AgTalk, 88 per cent, occurs outside of normal business hours, and one-third of that activity is after midnight.
AgTalk is available 24/7, and it’s backed by clinicians, although Massie said they are not offering therapy on the site.
In 2025, the site saw six escalations in which the Wall Guides, the professionals who monitor the site, had to step in. All were successful, including one case that was taken outside the site for help.
Be a light for others
Massie encouraged people to shine a light on mental health. They can be porch lights, or those who are safe spaces for coffee and conversation, or flashlights, the type that can find those who are pulling away in their mental health struggles, or floodlights, shining widely to raise awareness.
