One of the main topics discussed at Farm Credit Canada’s upcoming Young Farmer Summit in Lethbridge is mental health in the agriculture industry.
Summit host Katelyn Duban says the first time she heard about mental health in agriculture was at an agricultural conference.
“At the time I thought wow, why are we talking about this, why is this topic in agriculture so important and when we think about it, mental health affects everyone. But when we talk about our industry, there are so many factors related to our work and lifestyle that we don’t have much control over.
Duban says that on a broad spectrum, it’s important to talk about mental health because it plays a role in how a person may show up in their everyday life, as well as in their work. She adds that these conversations at conferences or summits create an atmosphere where mental health is a safe topic to discuss.
During the events on Wednesday, January 31, the theme will be stress reduction and practicing psychological safety in agriculture. Duban says the presentation will address how farmers and those in the agricultural sector can present themselves and prepare themselves mentally not only for the industry and work, but also for their families.
“Sometimes when we think about safety in agriculture we think about equipment and making sure that if you have long hair it is tied back so it doesn’t get wrapped up in the equipment. But when we think about psychological safety, it’s not something that really comes to mind. »
According to Duban, other topics will be discussed throughout the summit, including agricultural finance and the economy.
“So these are topics that sometimes aren’t really fun to talk about, but it’s something we need to address as farmers and business owners,” Duban says. “It’s a busy day that takes a look at what it takes to be a young farmer in 2024.”
She adds that at previous summits, participants received very positive feedback, who were able to learn real-world lessons from their farm, which made them excited for the next year of growing.
THE January 31 event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Agrifood Hub and Trade Centre.
