The online survey being conducted by the Ontario Veterinary College seeks to understand the impacts of work on the mental health of farmers. Findings from this study will provide further insight into data previously collected in other studies, one done in 2015/16 and another done in 2020.

The earlier study led by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, an assistant professor at the veterinary college, found roughly 45 per cent of farmer respondents had high stress with 58 per cent meeting the classification for anxiety and 35 per cent for depression.

The survey, which can be found here, closes May 7 and takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Anyone with questions or concerns can contact Jones-Bitton at aqjones@uoguelph.ca.

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The Clean Fields, Community Yields program was born in April when FMC staff saw a need to support community organizations and projects affected by COVID-19 disruptions. Retailers were asked to choose worthy charities to receive 10 cents per acre from any FMC fall herbicide sold locally before Oct. 31.

Several dozen charities benefited from the program, which turned out to be “much bigger than we hoped,” said Jordan Brisebois, product manager at FMC.

“We’re going to be donating tens of thousands of dollars across Western Canada,” he said.

FMC decided to give an additional $5,000 to one charity and after an online vote, the Kale Porteous Memorial Splash Park was chosen. Kale Porteous was an 11-year-old boy who died in a farming accident in 2018.

“Kale was a very special boy who touched so many lives and to receive so much support to build a splash park in his honour is very heart warming,” said Chantel Timmons of the Troy Loney Charity Golf Classic, which is also raising money for the splash park.

*Update: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated ‘Farm Management Canada’ in the byline.

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Entrants must produce a video, one minute or less, based on the theme, ‘If you could tell a consumer one thing, what would it be?’

Those entering the contest must be between the ages of 20 and 40, appear in the video, and submit their entry by Oct. 19 to Farm Management Canada.

The conference, which focuses on farm business management, will be held in Winnipeg on Nov. 26-28. Contest details along with articles and stories on past conferences can be found at the Farm Management Canada website.

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Entrants can give their answer in a multimedia presentation, video, Twitter chat, blog or a Wiki.

The award is offered by Farm Management Canada and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs.

For more info, visit the Farm Management Canada website. The application deadline is May 5.

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• Never stop learning;
• Make business decisions using accurate financial data;
• Seek the help of business advisers/consultants;
• Have a written business plan, follow it, and review it annually;
• Know and monitor your cost of production and what it means for your profits;
• Assess risks and have a plan to manage and mitigate risk;
• Use a budget and financial plan to monitor financial position and options.

“The research says that no matter how big or small your operation is, what you produce or where you farm in Canada, investing in farm business management will drive your success,” said Heather Watson, executive director of Farm Management Canada.

“For years, industry has been hearing this, and now, we finally have the concrete data to back it.”

The agricultural division of market research firm Ipsos surveyed more than 600 farmers as part of the study. Those surveyed were from a cross-section of the grain and oilseed, dairy, beef, hog, poultry and egg, and horticultural sectors from across the country.

The Dollars and Sense report can be found at fmc-gac.com.

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The award from Farm Management Canada and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs encourages agricultural students to enhance their communication skills and raise awareness of the importance of farm business management.

Entrants must submit a multimedia presentation, video, Twitter chat, blog or Wiki, responding to the following questions: What top three priorities should Canada’s agricultural industry focus on in order to be a leading agricultural body going forward? How will you, as a new graduate, positively contribute to these priorities?

Three awards are given out, with the winning entrant receiving $1,500.

For more information and to apply, visit fmc-gac.com. The application deadline is May 6.

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Farm Management Canada is looking for videos from young farmers (aged 20 to 40) on that theme.

Winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Agricultural Excellence Conference in Winnipeg on Nov. 19-21.

Videos must be one minute or less, titled “Y WE FARM Competition by FMC and Ag Annex,” and entrants must appear in the video. The deadline for entries is Oct. 24 and the winners will be announced Oct. 31. For more info, visit the Y WE FARM Farm Management Canada website.

The Agricultural Excellence Conference is a forum to share and explore beneficial farm management practices.

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