The arrival of June every year, and its status as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, has special significance for Sharalee Laventure, a director with the SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network.
She wishes something like the network had existed for her youngest brother, who lost his mental health battle and died by suicide in 2015.
Another board member also experienced tragedy when her son was lost to suicide on the family farm at the age of 24.
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Run by a five-person volunteer board, SaskAgMatters operates strictly by donation and provides six hours of free mental health sessions to Saskatchewan agriculture producers and their families.
They also collaborate with the Saskatchewan Farmer and Rancher Mental Health (FARMh) Initiative to conduct ongoing research.
“Hopefully this will prevent other families from the tragedy that our family lived. My brother was a very successful farmer,” said Laventure.
In the eyes of those around him, he had everything he could ever want — money, a fiancée, a successful farm and great family support. However, he didn’t have his mental health.
“Him and I were very close, sharing a lot of our dirty secrets growing up, but he didn’t feel safe enough, even with me, sharing that. Hopefully, this will save families from the tragedy ours went through. ”
All the therapists hired to work with SaskAgMatters have an agriculture background.
The organization grew out of Farmer and Rancher Mental Health Initiative research that surveyed 100 farmers. Team members came from Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, the University of Regina and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Research studies have shown 53 per cent of agriculture producers meet the classification for depression. The number increases to 71 per cent for anxiety. Of the producers surveyed, 45 per cent said there is a lack of support specific to farmers and ranchers.
“We tailored this to what farmers told us they needed,” said Laventure.
The researchers learned that many times when a producer did reach out, the mental health professional they talked to did not understand the business of farming and rural life.
That frustration was compounded by the distance farmers had to travel away from their operations to attend the sessions. And even then, the 9-to-5 schedule of mental health professionals was not able to accommodate busy agriculture seasons such as calving or harvest.
“Where are most of the qualified therapists in Saskatchewan? They are in Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon. They are in the big centres, and where are our ag producers? A long ways from there,” Laventure said about the need to access services at home by phone or laptop.
“We have therapists who are willing to work evenings and weekends.”
Agriculture producers want to have their confidentiality assured, their busy schedules recognized and a support network provided that understands their business and can speak “farmerese.”
“When you think about it, so much in a farmer’s or a rancher’s life is completely out of his control. Tailoring these services to them, I think it helps them feel getting some of that control back,” said Laventure.
She said it is difficult to completely eliminate the stigma attached to men reaching out and accessing mental health supports, but it is becoming less of a taboo subject.
Unfortunately, many farmers remain stoic and see themselves as the fixers.
“They want to fix their problems themselves, and some still feel like it’s showing weakness when they reach out for help instead of showing strength. If we can change that narrative somehow, showing reaching out is a sign of strength, that will help.”
SaskAgMatters has seen a big increase in the number of producers using its services.
The organization is funded solely by donations, and Laventure said it is running low on funds. SaskAgMatters is looking for industry partners or individuals who would like to donate.
There is a donate button on the SaskAgMatters website or donors can e-transfer funds at saskagmatters@gmail.com.
She said 98 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to farmer therapy sessions, with the remaining two per cent going toward merchandising and advertising.
“We make sure as much as possible goes directly to the therapy sessions.”
