Author and trauma counsellor, Catherine Clark.

Get more resilient

By transforming adversity into resiliency, these strategies build a better you

Reading Time: 5 minutes During the pandemic, trauma counsellor Catherine Clark became intrigued by the idea of creating a Mental Health Resiliency Roadmap to help address the deep emotional pain, anxiety and burnout that families, businesses and communities were experiencing. Based on key findings in neural, cognitive and behavioural science, Clark wanted the resiliency roadmap to help individuals meet […] Read more

Farmers face a number of uncontrollable factors that can lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, even suicide. (Eclipse_images/E+/Getty Images)

Free mental health training, workshops offered for farmers

Do More Ag Foundation expands programming available

Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers seeking mental health support will have access to free training and community workshops for the fourth year in a row via the Do More Agriculture Foundation (DMAF) and Farm Credit Canada (FCC). Factors such as financial insecurity, uncontrollable weather and isolating working conditions contribute to high depression, anxiety and suicide rates among farmers, according […] Read more


Your role in supporting mental health

Your role in supporting mental health

Farmers’ mental health is still a challenge, but there’s one thing we do know: With the right support, you can make a difference

Reading Time: 5 minutes University of Guelph professor Andria Jones-Bitton has been involved in farmer mental health since 2015 when she spearheaded a survey that documented the extreme levels of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout experienced by Canada’s farmers. Distressingly, though, Jones-Bitton says preliminary results from a subsequent survey her team conducted in 2021 indicate stress levels are as […] Read more

Dial down the stress response

Dial down the stress response

Three essential steps to feeling better, both physically and mentally

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


“Farmers are seeking the tools and skills to lead and empower their teams effectively,” says the executive director of Farm Management Canada.

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

“You simply cannot let the race beat you,” Louis Baillargeon says after another successful Boston Marathon. As in farming, it’s about refusing to quit.

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


It’s time to shift our notions of what productivity means on the farm, says Van Ewyk. It isn’t just what you do in the barn or that shop. It’s also what you to do to enhance your health.

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

Grief is a natural process that helps us adapt when the world as we knew it — or thought we knew it — no longer exists.

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


Self-care specialists Emilio Jose Garcia Rodriguez and Samantha Kristoferson.

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

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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