Reading Time: 4 minutes Odessa dairy farmer Deborah Vanberkel recently won a national award for an initiative she started that combines both her professions – agriculture and psychotherapy. Working with the Lennox & Addington Federation of Agriculture (as well as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture), Vanberkel started the Farmer Wellness Program as a pilot in 2019. Now a permanent […] Read more
Tag Archives mental health
Rivoire award won by farmer and therapist
The Farmer Wellness Program has expanded to five counties
In the Know addresses gap in agriculture-based mental health training
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Federation of Agriculture teaming up to deliver the training program provincially
Reading Time: 3 minutes A farmer often goes about their day in relative isolation, especially this last year. Many will tell you there is reassuring sameness found on the farm when the outside world appears to be falling apart. However, when mental health issues edge in and you begin to crumble, that isolation can be a prison unless you […] Read more
Listowel event results in new online mental health resource
The initiative started with the local agricultural society
Reading Time: 2 minutes From a local food fundraiser to a professionally produced website and videos, a group of Listowel-area farmers have turned a small grant from RBC Royal Bank into a go-to resource for anyone in mid-western Ontario’s agricultural community struggling with mental illness. Why it matters: Much has occurred over the past five years to lessen the […] Read more
Consumers look to healthy food post-COVID lockdown
Comfort, less healthy foods were popular early in the pandemic
Reading Time: 3 minutes Jane Dummer, a registered dietitian, says the pandemic has caused changes in Canadian eating habits. “If you had asked me in September, ‘would we have run out of baking needs, flour and toilet paper in a pandemic?’ I would have said no, especially because originally the pandemic, COVID-19, was really identified as only respiratory, and […] Read more
Turkey farmer donation helps young people
Kids Help Phone and 4-H Canada will be the beneficiaries
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – COVID-19 has been a weird and stressful time for most Canadians. Social isolation and incessant news about the pandemic can affect people in different ways, particularly kids, who may not have someone to talk to. That’s why Turkey Farmers of Canada has donated an additional $80,000 to Kids Help Phone and 4-H […] Read more
Hack your brain to reduce stress
Help yourself and others by understanding how the brain works
Reading Time: 3 minutes Updated June 8, 2020 Agriculture is unpredictable, and the COVID-19 pandemic is placing additional stress on farmers’ mental health. Experts say understanding the neurological origins of stress and the contagious nature of emotions can alleviate pressure caused by stress. Why it matters: Fear and anxiety can impede decision making, directly affecting the business and those […] Read more
Report links business management, mental health of farmers
Farm women, young farmers report higher levels of stress, difficulties coping
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa — A new report from Farm Management Canada (FMC) calls for action after determining 75 per cent of Canadian farmers reported being moderately to highly stressed about unpredictable interference, workload pressure and financial pressures. But how a farmer plans his or her business — and associated risks — can help lower that statistic. The […] Read more
Veterinarians more likely to have suicidal thoughts: study
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canadian veterinarians, particularly women practitioners, think about suicide more often than the general population and suffer poorer mental health overall, a study by University of Guelph researchers has found. As an occupation, veterinarians have higher levels of stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety and depression, and reported more suicidal ideation and lower resilience than Canadians generally, […] Read more
Mental health campaign launched
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Do More Agriculture Foundation, has launched its second awareness campaign called ‘It Starts With Me.’ The campaign aims to: reduce stigma, understand that each of us plays a role, and inspire those in agriculture to take care of their mental well-being. “Our words can have such a powerful impact, whether verbalized to others, or […] Read more
Brigid Rivoire Award recognizes agricultural mental health advocates
Reading Time: < 1 minute Applications are now open for the second annual Brigid Rivoire Award for Champions of Agricultural Mental Health. The award is for individuals, organizations or groups that have made an outstanding contribution in raising awareness, addressing the stigma, and supporting agricultural mental health. “Mental health in agriculture has finally been receiving some much-warranted attention, but there’s […] Read more
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