CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE
March 11, 2020
It might not appear like it at first glance, but anyone with experience picking stones or pulling teats knows that farming is a dangerous profession. From enormous, ornery livestock to . . .
heavy machinery and poisonous chemicals, there is no shortage of ways to be injured around the barnyard. It’s the reason that farming and agricultural work is consistently ranked in the top ten most dangerous professions, up there with loggers and Alaskan crab fishermen.
However, in addition to the physical toll that the job exacts, there are plenty of mental and emotional factors that can wreak havoc on an otherwise healthy farm worker.
Farmers have to deal with an incredible amount of uncertainty in their business, from the weather to animal behaviour and even the fluctuation of commodity prices. Decisions made by politicians in other countries can wipe out profit margins and changes to regulation can drown smaller operations in a mountain of paperwork.
The current trend in farming, like most other industries, is “get big or get out”, meaning that large industrial scale operations are squeezing out what used to be the domain of smaller family farms.
Add to that the isolation of spending your days alone in a tractor cab and you have a perfect recipe for mental distress.
Luckily, there are several courses in mental health awareness and training in the Pontiac the coming days, just in time for Canadian Ag Safety Week, which runs from March 15 to 21.
A mental health first aid training course, put on by Farm Credit Canada and the Do More Agriculture Foundation will take place March 12 and 13 at the Little Red Wagon Winery in Clarendon and is already booked to capacity. It aims to break down the stigma around mental health issues in the farming community and give participants the skills to aid someone in crisis.
Another upcoming mental health workshop is the Sentinel training program, put on by the Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA), with a one day course taking place on March 17, and two four-hour workshops taking place March 23 and 24. Sentinels are trained to identify someone in mental distress and direct them to resources that can help them cope. The training is growing in popularity and has been given to more than 1,200 people across the province since 2016.
Those interested in the course can contact 613 878-0081 or visit anglicanrenfrewpontiac.com to register and find out more information.
