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Tag Archives mental health — page 2

Long hours, high input costs and low returns are just a few of the reasons many farmers struggle with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
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Farm workers get access to mental health support

New funding will provide services in Spanish

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The Farmer Wellness Initiative (FWI) is getting $538,000 to diversify its free agriculture-based mental health services. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funding allows expanded FWI programming for Ontario farmers, farm workers and their families, including $178,000 to develop Spanish-speaking mental health services to serve international agricultural workers better. “The entire agricultural community experiences unique stressors […] Read more
Gerry Friesen, author of The Recovering Farmer.
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‘Recovering Farmer’ shares his story of farmer mental health in new book

Farm mental health advocate Gerry Friesen shares his journey in a new book

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Glacier FarmMedia – Gerry Friesen is doing an uncomfortable thing. He’s putting both his name and internal struggles out for the world to see, in an effort to break the silence around farmers’ mental health. The “Recovering Farmer,” as Friesen has long been known on his blog, has taken his message from the digital space […] Read more
Renny Grilz (centre), resource management officer for Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatchewan and veteran agrologist, says “farmers probably educate the conservationists more than the other way around. It helps build those relationships, that we can then use to generate more interest in conservation.”
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Burnout a problem in conservation sector

Like farmers, people in the environmental profession face many uphill battles that can affect their health

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Mental health challenges are a regular topic of discussion in the agriculture sector, but farmers are not the only workers with high rates of anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illness. Why it matters: People in the environmental sector face many challenges to their work and purpose. For those working in the environmental sector, […] Read more
Warwick Fire Department Deputy Chief Kameron Turner, left, and Chief Brad Goodhill present Diane Bergsma, centre, with a cheque for $4,000 from a 50/50 draw and local donations at the Warwick pancake breakfast.
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Three Oaks Cabin boosted by $25,000 BASF grant win

Community continues to raise funds to support farmer, emergency responder mental health

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Three Oaks Cabin recently edged out tight competition to secure the BASF Growing Home $25,000 Ontario grant with approximately 10,000 votes. “It will be earmarked directly for our guests,” said Three Oaks Cabin co-founder Diane Bergsma. “We’re thinking (of) using it towards upgrading the trails to be used year-round.” Why it matters: Three Oaks Cabin […] Read more
Farmer mental health gets federal investment
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Farmer mental health gets federal investment

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The federal government is investing up to $1.08 million in activities aimed at supporting the mental health of Canadian farmers. The investment will be used by the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW) to support mental health literacy education for agriculture educators across the country, the development of a mental health toolkit to support the […] Read more
One of the rooms at Three Oaks Cabin.
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Three Oaks Cabin sees demand for mental health services

Rural mental health respite was built by a farming family after losing their son

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Only a week after it started accepting bookings in late March, mental health respite Three Oaks Cabin was almost fully booked for June and July. “It’s great, because that means people are seeking help, but it also really reiterates the fact that we need to help people,” said Diane Bergsma, co-founder of Three Oaks Cabin. […] Read more
Long hours, high input costs and low returns are just a few of the reasons many farmers struggle with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
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Peer to peer support can help avoid mental health crises

Guardian Network comprised of farmers, community members trained to provide support

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Suicide is not uncommon in farm country. Reducing the frequency of such tragedies is the goal of the Guardian Network, one of three farmer wellness programs offered by the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Why it matters: The farming community consistently shows higher than average rates of mental health issues such as […] Read more
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Farmer mental wellness to receive $8 million

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An $8 million investment will help Ontario farmers continue to have access to three mental health support programs, and further promote these services to the province’s farming community. The Farmer Wellness Initiative, the In the Know program and the Guardian Network will be sharing the funding, the bulk of which will be provided through Sustainable […] Read more
Do More Agriculture executive director Megz Reynolds onstage at Canada’s Farm Show in Regina June 20.
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Platform promises anonymous, farm-based mental health help

The AgTalk peer support platform has been unveiled by Do More Agriculture

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Farmers who tap into a new mental health service will get relatable, anonymous support for their struggles, according to the organization behind the initiative. The Do More Agriculture Foundation has launched AgTalk, a platform for those in the Canadian agriculture industry. It is a partnership between the foundation, RBC, BASF and the McCain Foundation and […] Read more
File photo of northern Alberta farmland. (Wonganan/iStock/Getty Images)

Survey to look at farm stress from Alberta angle

Study to explore farmers' levels of resilience against stress

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Researchers from the University of Alberta and AgKnow, the province’s farmer mental health network, are looking to build up Alberta-specific data on farming stress, mental health and well-being, and the ways in which farmers cope. They study team is “looking for farmers, ranchers, or anyone who works or lives on a farm” to participate, researchers […] Read more

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