Help for one of the biggest hubs in Southern Alberta

Southern Alberta boosts one of the most important agricultural hubs in North America.

Growing and selling a wide variety of crops is big business here, and with so much at stake every growing season, stress is part of the equation.

Managing that stress is important, and Family and Community Support Services is here to help, with counsellors at the ready.

“We talk a lot more about mental health in agricultural circles today,” said FCSS counsellor Karen Wind Vandenberg. “Words like anxiety and stress, in the back of our minds, create a picture of negative mental health, but what does it mean to have good mental health? How do I gauge if I am doing well?”

That is an important question, she added, and resources are available to help get that answered. One such resource is the mental health dashboard created by Farm Credit Canada, which can be accessed at www.fcc-fac.ca/en/community/wellness.

The dashboard is a great resource for producers to determine where they fall on the mental-health spectrum, and how they can find balance in dealing with stress.

The Farm Credit Canada document, Rooted in Strength, contains a number of tips, messages, articles and graphics, and also helps farmers identify common stressors on the farm.

According to Wind Vandenberg, agricultural producers have a lot on their minds, 12 months of the year, due to the challenging nature of the job.

“They wear lots of hats and in this profession, there are so many things to consider. Margins are getting smaller and they have to do more with less.”

Being an expert in technology, accounting, finance and marketing are just a few skills modern famers require, and sometimes, the need for assistance is real.

Wind Vandenberg, who grew up on a farm just outside Taber, and also has agriculture degree from Olds College, added the counselling team at FCSS is there to provide professional guidance to producers who may need a helping hand.

Amanda Fontaine, another counsellor on the FCSS team, has reviewed research on the impact of mental first aid among agricultural producers, and has spent a considerable amount of time providing counselling services to people in the agricultural sector.

“My background is, I did grow up around agriculture but also, as part of my work for an organization in Saskatchewan, I worked on the Farm Stress Line, so folks would call in from anywhere across Canada and they would call in anonymously for support when their mental health was starting to suffer,” she said. “We would link them with resources but we would also give them crisis support. There were a lot of folks who were suicidal, there were also folks that just noticed something was off, and they would call in and get that support.”

One of the resources she would often suggest is the Do More Agriculture Foundation: www.domore.ag/talk-it-out

“They have done a lot of good things,” said Fontaine, who equated farmers accessing assistance for mental first aid with seeking an agronomist to assist with selecting the right chemical for a particular crop. “There are also a lot of people trained for physical first aid, so why are we not also seeking help from those trained in mental first aid?”

Talk it Out provides free, online sessions every second Wednesday with Lauren Van Ewyk, an engaging speaker, registered social worker, foster mom and agricultural mental health advocate.

For Fontaine, recent Canadian statistics that show the rates of stress, depression, and anxiety among producers to be 61.9 per cent, 34 per cent and 57 per cent are cause for reflection.

“In agriculture, there is a culture of stoicism and self-reliance, and we’re trying to build a culture of connection,” she said.

Technology can certainly assist in connecting producers with the assistance they need.

“This is another area, where we can adapt our service to phones or video,” said Fontaine. “People can call in and do a session from the middle of their field. We’re trying to fit the service to the industry.”

In fact, those interested in speaking with a professional from FCSS can visit their website, scroll through the bios of the counsellors and book online or call the intake number located at www.fcss.ca/counselling