Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s been well documented in recent years that farmers are experiencing high levels of stress. And although farmers are typically very resilient, when the demands placed on them exceed their strengths, talents and resources, it can go far beyond healthy levels. Such stress responses can activate a myriad of unhealthy symptoms and behaviours, explains Kathy […] Read more
Dial down the stress response
Three essential steps to feeling better, both physically and mentally
Farm advisors a growing trend
Farm advisors are already delivering big value to most farms. In fact, it’s growing year upon year
Reading Time: 4 minutes The number of farm advisors is growing all the time, which is probably a good thing given that over 150,000 Canadian farms still need to plan and execute a succession of some kind, whether it’s a transition to the next generation or outside the family. And the need for advice won’t stop there. Already, more […] Read more
A marathon of running, and farming
To run a 26-mile marathon, Louis Baillargeon learned you have to start by taking charge of yourself, just as in farming
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s so like farming. When you’re at the starting line of a major marathon, everyone around you is there to run too. They’re all focused on the same thing that you’re focused on, just like when you’re a farmer, most of the people you know are also farmers, dealing with exactly what you’re also dealing […] Read more
How to cope in the long months ahead
Smart, healthful and fun tips for coping with winter and a global pandemic
Reading Time: 6 minutes Canadian winters on the farm can be tough at the best of times. The dark and the cold and the isolation can leave anyone feeling down. And this winter, of course, we also have the added stresses and restrictions of a global pandemic to make us feel battle-weary and burned out. The good news is […] Read more
The many sides of grief
Grief can be caused by many kinds of loss. Here’s why it’s so important to recognize that
Reading Time: 4 minutes We know that grief is a natural response when a loved one dies. What we may not realize, though, is that we may also grieve, sometimes for years, from non-death losses too. Losing the family farm, getting divorced, living with a debilitating illness, being estranged from one’s child, the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic… all […] Read more
Find time for self-care
If it seems you haven’t a moment for your physical and mental health, read this
Reading Time: 5 minutes We all read the headlines. We know that self-care can make it easier to cope with high levels of stress. But too often, we feel we are already stretched so thin, it would only make matters worse if we stopped what needs doing and spent any time on self-care. To get some tips and tools […] 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
Make self-care your priority
Actually, you do have time to take care of yourself, especially with these incentives
Reading Time: 5 minutes Grain farmers Jennifer and Michael Doelman are making self-care a priority in 2020. Years of hard work, sleepless nights caring for young children, and a stressful farm succession process have left the Renfrew, Ont. couple suffering from burnout. The couple love their work but have been stretched too thin giving to farm, family and community. […] Read more
Alone on the farm, or lonely?
Farm life can be more isolating and more challenging than ever, making it even more important to ask yourself these questions
Reading Time: 5 minutes Christi Friesen has learned to recognize signs that she’s heading into a spiral of negative thinking — and it usually happens when she’s pulling 18-hour days on the tractor on her Peace River farm in Alberta. “When you’re out in the boondocks, your closest neighbour is a half-mile away and you’re working alone and you’re […] Read more
Coping with the winter months
“It’s okay not to be okay,” says therapist Deborah Vanberkel. All of us are subject to the winter blahs and cabin fever
Reading Time: 6 minutes As if farming wasn’t already stressful enough, Canadian winters bring additional challenges. Frozen water lines, icy driveways and tractors that won’t start are just a few of the many physical challenges that farmers must contend with during our harsh winters. On top of that, when the short days of winter arrive, some of us will […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
