Commentary

What do you do? Farmers and Mental Health

November 3, 2023 | Jackie Rombouts, Member Relations Coordinator for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario

What do you do?

You are driving down a sideroad and you see a tractor and wagon pulled off the road. The back axel of the wagon is completely ripped off, and the wagon is leaning precariously to one side. There is bean seed all over the road. You stop to see if you can be of assistance. When you see the farmer, you know immediately that he is not okay. You can tell he is on the brink of exhaustion and despair. You ask if there is anything you can do to help, and he screams; “No. I’m done. I’m just done.”

What do you do?

You’re an animal health nutritionist attending a farm to recalibrate the mill. On arrival you can see that the farmer has been crying. You know that his feed conversion is bad and that his corn shows high levels of toxins. You have heard through the industry that he is not paying his bills. He is three months behind on paying your company as well. He tries to cover up his pain, but you know that he is hurting.

What do you do?

You are a farmer whose barn has been hit hard with disease. One of your children, who worked closest with the animals, seems to be taking the loss hard. You notice that she cries often, her grades are slipping, and she is getting quieter by the day. She no longer wants to go out with her friends and is spending more and more time alone.

What do you do?

If you don’t have the answer to these questions maybe the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario can help.

At the CFFO we recognize that farming is a tough industry. Isolation, fluctuating markets, financial uncertainty, disease pressures, constant equipment breakdowns and unpredictable weather are only of few of the challenges that farmers face every day. Thanks to several initiatives, mental health awareness is growing in the rural communities and there are now supports in place to help farmers through these challenges.

But how do we get farmers to accept the help that is available to them as suicides, anxiety and depression rates continue to rise on Ontario farms.

What do we do?

The CFFO has added training sessions, designed specifically to help the helpers, to our mental health program.

On November 9th we are hosting our very first "Loving Thy Neighbour" Dinner and Wellness event.

The idea is to help those who live and work with people in the agricultural industry to recognize the signs of mental health distress and give them tools to assist when needed.

We believe that veterinarians, bankers, accountants, insurance adjustors, tractor repairmen and feed salesmen are often the first to know when a farmer is struggling and would like to give them the tools to help those in need. If this dinner is a success, it will be the beginning of many more like it across Ontario. Hopefully together we can reduce the number of farmers struggling with their mental health.