The agriculture industry is driven by family farms, where personal and professional lives are intertwined. This creates an interesting dynamic and puts a lot of pressure on our relationships and our mental health. Making mental wellness a priority is being talked about more than ever, but there is still plenty of misunderstanding around the topic…. Read More
Category: Health & Wellness
A program that offers free one-on-one counselling to farmers in Manitoba is seeing demand for its services, but is also working on raising awareness as it marks its first anniversary. The grassroots and non-profit Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program was launched in January 2022 and started offering farmers and their family members free, confidential counselling sessions… Read More
The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW), a new not-for-profit organization launched in late 2022, is on a mission to support farmers and their families with a research-to-action approach to mental health. Today, CCAW has announced an agreement that names TELUS Health as the exclusive clinical and technology provider for services. CCAW is focused on… Read More
As the calendar winds down, so too does the work week and the routines of week in and week out. And so it is with the host of Wheat Pete’s Word, Pete Johnson, as he offers this, the last Word of the year. For this week’s podcast, Johnson has a little agronomy and a lot… Read More
Many are familiar with certain forms of counselling — counselling on mental health, addictions, career, etc. But what about nutritional counselling? For this episode of the Fit Farmer podcast, host Gary Chambers is joined by registered dietician Georgie Fear to discuss the importance of eating properly, and what it can do to fuel your body… Read More
Agriculture and food issues often cross provincial, national and international boundaries. Being a leader of a farm organization frequently requires representatives to look well beyond the farm gate to tackle issues that impact their members. That’s certainly the case for Thunder Bay, Ont., dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld, who in 2023 will again lead the Ontario… Read More
A new not-for-profit organization plans to take a hands-on approach to farmer mental wellness across the country. Organizers of the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW) say they will support farmers with a research-to-action approach to mental health. “Compared to the Canadian public, farmers experience elevated rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Unfortunately,… Read More
Too often, it takes a brush with a serious health issue to spur someone to take better care of themselves. For Amanda Nigg, it took a life-changing event to spur her farm-fit business. On this episode of the Fit Farmer podcast, Fit Farmer meets Farm Fit Momma as Gary Chambers is joined by Nigg to… Read More
Every year around this time, I start thinking it’s time to reflect. Reflect on the last year, the good, the not-so-great, and most of all — what I’m thankful for. I have started this more than a handful of times over the course of the last couple of days. So, I’ve turned on my favourite… Read More
Mental health in Canadian agriculture is no longer a foreign term, however, there is still plenty of work to be done. A new study out of the University of Guelph has made that even more clear. Prior to this study, there was a study conducted in 2015-2016, says Andria Jones-Bitton, of the University of Guelph…. Read More
As the calendar flips to June, farmers are urgently trying to complete planting or seeding across Canada. No matter the reason, whether you are feeling behind or there’s poor weather on the horizon, we all tackle the logistical challenges of planting and seeding in different ways. Some farmers are solo artists, while others have large… Read More
The Successors is a RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. How do you make a choice to change your career, when you have committed to a certain track? What can you do to unite the industry, and break down silos within agriculture? Why is… Read More
Our bodies are incredible things, and are quite often telling you something. Have you ever stopped to listen to your own? As I sit here wondering how I’ve managed to get sick for the second time within 10 days, not wanting to call in sick, because hey —I already did that last week, I’m taking… Read More
The Do More Agriculture Foundation is welcoming a new executive director. Megz Reynolds, former Saskatchewan grain farmer and well-known online agriculture advocate, has been hired to lead the organization that is focused on being a national leader, voice and champion for mental health in Canadian agriculture. She replaces Adelle Stewart, who led Do More Ag since… Read More
There is a difference between good work ethic and commitment and pushing too hard, to the point of burnout. What does burnout look like? And how do you balance racing against the weather, but stopping at “enough”? For those answers, host Shaun Haney goes to Hamza Khan, speaker and author of The Burnout Gamble, for… Read More