Enhancing mental health supports for farmers and ranchers

Nov 28, 2023

Edmonton, AB – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Farm families have improved access to mental health services and resources thanks to more support for the AgKnow Alberta Farm Mental Health Network.

Farm life can be extremely demanding, with unpredictable challenges that affect the mental health and well-being of everyone in the family. The Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta is receiving $388,500 to generate awareness and expand mental health research and supports available to farmers through AgKnow.

This funding is provided through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) which is helping Alberta build a stronger and more resilient agricultural sector for generations to come.

This funding will build on the work AgKnow is doing to raise awareness and support mental health. This includes developing, promoting and delivering:

More evidence-based mental health programs, tools and learning resources to help farm families and farming communities thrive
Education and learning resources to help therapists, health care providers and community service organizations understand farm culture, the issues farmers face and the supports available to address mental health concerns

Sustainable CAP is a 5-year (2023-28), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency in the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

Source : Canada.ca

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.