10 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | March 2024 Beyond the Barn PRODUCERS ARE LESS RETICENT ON MENTAL HEALTH When Premier Wab Kinew and ag minister Ron Kostyshyn recently announced $450,000 in funding for the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, it came at a time when producers are often being less hesitant to talk about their mental health. “I really think the stigma around mental health in agriculture is lessening, and more people within ag are open to the idea of talking about this subject,” said MFWP CAO Gerry Friesen. “That’s awesome because talking about mental health is the first step to getting support. I started talking about my mental health journey about 13 years ago and I’m still on this journey.” The support will come over three years, from the provincial and federal governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. It’s “important to have specialized mental health resources available specifically for producers and their families, and why we are proud to partner with the federal government on this key initiative,” the premier said at the announcement Ag Days in Brandon. The MFWP appreciates the support. This funding will allow the organization to expand its footprint in the community, said Friesen, who is also a founding member. “On Jan. 1 of this year we expanded our programming to providing counselling sessions to farm employees,” he told Better Farming. “Now we can look at bigger and better things because we know there’s a large ag community out there who require support. “We need every farmer, family and employees to know we’re here for them in Manitoba.” MFWP launched in March 2022. It provides six free counselling sessions with farm-focused counsellors. Since then, the number of farmers accessing support has increased each year. BF - Diego Flammini When SaskCanola and SaskFlax recently announced their amalgamation, part of the stated reasoning was the ongoing need of oilseed producers for alternatives to heavy canola rotations – and flax has synergies in terms of oilseed marketing and crop rotation. The two organizations will officially join together in August 2024 after successful votes at their annual general meetings. Growers voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of joining forces. “The collaborative efforts are expected to streamline operations, enhance research initiatives, and provide a more cohesive voice for oilseed growers in the province,” Tracy Broughton, executive director of SaskFlax and SaskCanola, said in a statement. “Both commissions will now work with Agri-Food Council to amend regulations as the amalgamation will officially commence at the start of the next crop year on Aug. 1, 2024.” The independent council supervises and monitors ag agencies in the province. Boards and staff from each organization will remain in place until the consolidation takes effect, with Keith Fournier as chair and Dean Roberts as vice-chair of SaskCanola and Greg Sundquist as chair and Patricia Lung as vice-chair of SaskFlax. After the organizations are joined, one single board and staff will be installed to operate the new organization. SaskCanola and SaskFlax started the amalgamation process in January 2023 with a management collaboration that saw them operate out of one office in Saskatoon to increase efficiency. Between July and November 2023, the organizations encouraged producers to participate in an online consultation related to possible amalgamation. An October 2023 update on the consultations revealed the synergies offered by flax in crop rotation and oilseed marketing. Other expectations: Overhead costs reduced by amalgamating would allow more levy dollars to flow directly into research and market development, Policy issues are often the same for all grain farmers, therefore a merger would provide greater efficiencies in advocacy efforts. SaskFlax represents 3,000 producers and SaskCanola represents 17,000 growers across the province of Saskatchewan. BF REMEDY FOR HEAVY CROP ROTATIONS pictureguy32 - stock.adobe.com
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