Comment: You don’t have to be alone with farm worries

There are resources to help those whose mental health can be determined by the level of the rain gauge

I thought I was doing fine. Not too worried or concerned. I kept telling myself it would all work out, and if it didn’t we’d be OK. We’ve always had a crop. We would this year too. It wouldn’t be a bumper crop. Not even an average one, but after being married to a farmer


Editorial: If you’re feeling down, reach out

There are mornings this time of year when it can be pretty hard to imagine the arrival of spring. The world is still locked in the frigid embrace of winter. The spiritual warmth of Christmas and New Year is far behind us. The cold and flu season continues to run riot. Spring still seems impossibly

Kim Keller speaks at Ag Days 2018. The trade show dedicated an afternoon to mental health in agriculture.

Bringing farm mental health issues out into the open, one tweet at a time

Mental health and agriculture has exploded in the last year, and a lineup 
of this year’s Ag Days speakers have been leading the charge

Lesley Kelly can tell you all about how mental health affects the farm. She can tell you about watching the self-destructive spiral as anxiety and negative thoughts build on to each other. She has intimate knowledge on the weight of life crashing down around harvest. She knows how it feels to suddenly burst into tears.


Tammie Myers (l to r), Tess Lelond, Grace Melvin and Melvin’s mother, share discussion on various topics.

Mental Health Awareness Day recognized in Shoal Lake

Young woman shares her personal struggles with students

Depression, anxiety and substance use aren’t weaknesses — they are illnesses to be overcome — as acknowledged at a Mental Health Awareness Day in Shoal Lake last month. And no one knows this better than keynote speaker Grace Melvin of Brandon, who shared her personal struggle with depression and anxiety with Grade 10 and 11

Well known for hosting the TSN show “Off the Record,” Michael Landsberg was a Grain World guest speaker last week.

Break the silence on mental health

TV personality Michael Landsberg was a guest speaker last week at Grain World

It was the first time he’d spoken to a farm audience and Michael Landsberg did not disappoint. The crowd at Grain World gave the Canadian sports journalist a standing ovation after he’d given his frank talk about his personal struggle with depression, imploring others to speak up too. “The agricultural world is dominated by the


Opportunities for education and developing supportive networks are vital for women’s good mental health, says speakers who will attend the Manitoba Rural Women’s Day events being held in October.

Rural Women’s Day to focus on mental health and wellness

The Manitoba Women’s Institute is hosting two separate events bringing together a broad range of speakers on the theme ‘A Healthy Mind is a Treasure to Find’

Rural and farm women face the same day-to-day pressures and stress as those who live in urban areas, but they also face unique challenges when it comes to staying well mentally. For one, there are fewer services and supports available to those who juggle not just dual but triple roles of family, work and a

Farmers want and need resources for mental health: survey

Farmers want and need resources for mental health: survey

Stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout are all higher among farmers than among other groups

Canadian farmers are among the most vulnerable to stress, anxiety, burnout and depression, according to early results of an online mental health survey done by researchers at University of Guelph. They experience these symptoms in numbers higher than comparative groups, including those in the U.K. and Norway, where similar studies have been done, said Andria


Canadian producers are being asked to take part in an online survey on stress to help researchers advance industry support services.

Gathering an industry baseline on stress

A new research project is looking for producer input on current stress levels and looks to develop industry-specific resources

A recent survey conducted by researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College has found high rates of stress, anxiety and depression among veterinarians. Now they are investigating whether agricultural producers are also suffering. The preliminary findings of a survey of 500 Ontario veterinary practitioners are alarming, the lead researcher says. “We used some validated health measures

John Cale

You can’t have a healthy farm without healthy farmers

Prior to producers’ most stressful seasons, experts suggest taking inventory of your 
stress levels and to plan ahead to avoid pitfalls that will impact your mental health

Don’t forget that third item that needs tending on your farm, says a rural health specialist. “As many producers tend to their crops and livestock daily, they need to remember to also tend to themselves and their own well-being,” John Cale from Prairie Mountain Health told the Farm Outlook 2015 conference presented by the Dauphin