DoMoreAg says a variety of support resources are available but it can sometimes be a challenge for producers to find them
It would cost about $7 million to establish a national farm mental health support line that all Canadian farmers could access 24/7, according to DoMoreAg.
Co-founder Lesley Kelley said there are lots of mental health resources available; the challenge is for people to locate them.
That’s why the non-profit organization, which was established four years ago to draw attention to mental health issues in agriculture and work to make more resources available, is seeking money to set up a single line that could deal with both crises and ongoing support.
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“We’ve been working on it for two years,” she said in an interview. “It is a big undertaking and we need funding.”
The conditions of the last couple of years — drought, flooding, fires, extreme cold, market upsets and COVID-19 — have placed significant stress on the country’s producers. Farmers looking for help are sometimes not sure where to find it.
Saskatchewan has a dedicated farm stress line and Manitoba has a farm, rural and northern support line. Alberta and British Columbia don’t have specific services for farmers.
Kelley said DoMoreAg’s proposed AgTalk would reduce confusion. It would be free, available at any time, bilingual and dedicated to agriculture-specific mental health supports.
“We also know through research that farmers are more prone to call crisis support lines if they know the person on the other end understands agriculture,” she said.
AgTalk might connect a farmer to a local resource or book an appointment for someone so they know what is happening next.
Kelley said the goal is to never leave a caller without a next step.
The organization last week announced it would offer TELUS Health MyCare counselling at no cost to British Columbia producers and families affected by last fall’s extensive floods. Producers can register at domore.ag to book video appointments with licensed mental health professionals. The service will be available for free until Feb. 28 and then at standard rates.
Kelley said DoMoreAg also recognizes that mental health professionals need more knowledge about farming and has launched AgCulture, an agricultural literacy program that helps to bridge that gap by taking counsellors through a day in the life of a farmer. That helps build the therapeutic relationship, she said.
DoMore.Ag contains a hub of resources that people can access. It offers workshops virtually and holds regular check-in sessions on Twitter.
Finding help on the phone
Stress lines are available in all four western Canadian provinces:
» Manitoba — 866-367-3276
» Saskatchewan — 800-667-4442
» Alberta — 877-303-2642
» B.C. — 800-784-2433
Kelley said she has seen many positives come out of the last several years of work, including more people using social media to provide supportive conversation about mental health on farms.
“I’m seeing a huge shift in how our industry is talking about mental health,” she said. “It’s become an important priority on farms and in the industry. I’ve seen some really heartfelt good stories of neighbours helping neighbours through mental health.”
She added the AgTalk phone line is ready to go just as soon as funding is available. It would be staffed by those who have taken the AgCulture program as well as others.
“Our timeline would be as soon as possible because to me this service is life-saving,” she said.
