The MFRNSS is a program run by and for farmers. Research conducted by both the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association in 2005 and the University of Guelph in 2016 concluded that when farmers reach out for help, it is of the utmost importance that the person is knowledgeable about farming. Our farm callers often start a conversation with two questions: “Is this confidential?” and “Are you a farmer?” We can answer yes to both.
In terms of clinical practice, the counsellors at the Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services bring with them a wealth of professional skills and education. All staff have received their crisis counselling certification through the American Association of Suicidology, have taken intensive crisis counselling and suicide intervention training, and have received regular clinical supervision through Klinic.
We have adapted and developed numerous resources pertaining to agricultural mental health. These include “Difficult Times: Stress on the Farm”, “Sleepless in Manitoba”, and a free app called “Calm in the Storm”. Our website provides information on our services and connects people to our live chat, which is one of our most popular and fastest-growing services.
Our pamphlet and help cards are distributed widely throughout our province, and we appear with our display or as speakers at agricultural and mental health conferences and trade shows. We are also active on social media. In short, we make every attempt to meet farmers where they're at, with messaging that resonates with them.
The committee has heard about many mental health programs and services for farmers across Canada. These include the excellent awareness-raising efforts by Do More Ag, the U of Guelph's research on agricultural mental health and their soon-to-be-released farmer mental health training, and the peer-to-peer support programs in Quebec, among others. While these are all positive programs, there is still a patchwork quilt of farm-specific mental health services across Canada, particularly when it comes to direct services.
In terms of crisis lines, the Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services has the only farm stress line in Canada that employs solely counsellors with farming backgrounds. Our toll-free number is limited to Manitoba callers and chatters.
Other challenges we face are largely due to limited resources: We are not a 24-7 service; we cannot provide SMS or text support; and we are limited in terms of marketing dollars and outreach.