Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) – Alberta-based mental health organization AgKnow will be relaunching its free mental health support sessions for farmers, farm families, farm employees, and veterinarians across the province.

Recent funding from the Alberta Treasury Branch has allowed AgKnow to resume the free sessions, which had been paused as it awaited provincial grant funding.

AgKnow Director Linda Hunt explains why these free sessions are vital for the ag community.

“Farmers have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide risk,” she says. “To combat that and to work with getting some services out into the industry as fast as possible, we decided to build a network where we have engaged with councillors in rural Alberta, that have that lived farm experience and are ready to offer services to farmers. That has been a main focus of our initiative from the beginning.”

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Hunt adds the big-picture goal is to continue working with these councillors to identify gaps, needs, and approaches that work for farmers and help those councillors develop even more expertise in agriculture so they’re in a position to help farmers long-term.

If you need to access AgKnow’s services anonymously, you can visit the AgKnow website. “Under the farmers page or the Get Support page, you’ll find access there,” says Hunt. “You send an email to the councillor of your choice. Some of them have phone numbers if you’d rather phone them. Within 72 hours, they work with you to get something scheduled. You do your session with your councillor, and they invoice us directly. So it’s totally anonymous. We don’t get any of your personal information.”

If you’re interested in helping support AgKnow, donations are accepted via its website.