Agriculture This Week: Stress a problem farmers often face alone

Dec 09, 2022

When it comes to our health there are all kinds of suggestions of how to go about being healthier.

It ranges from fitness centres to those on diets that avoid flour or meat or rely only on foods available hundreds of years ago, to those pointing to the healing qualities of certain herbs and crystals. Figure out the one that works and you should be physically better off.

But what about our minds?

While it is widely promoted to be healthier physically, and many are at least keeping an eye on that element of their lives, it still seems less attention is paid to mental health.

It’s not that there are not services to help when we feel that our mind is overwhelmed and the decisions we might be making are detrimental, but seeking that help is still difficult for many.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?