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Comment: Stress, health and the bovine brain

Recently, I listened to an audio book, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté, a Canadian physician who’s built a career studying the effects of trauma on health. Maté was born to Jewish parents in 1944 in Nazi-occupied Hungary, and a small part of the book reflects on his […] Read more

calf in a barn stall

Stress, biosecurity and bovine respiratory disease

Bovine respiratory disease isn’t going away, but there are things ranchers and farmers can do to reduce disease prevalence

Shipping fever. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Whatever name you give it, it remains the number one cause of death in feedlots. It pops up on cow-calf operations, too. The Beef Cattle Research Council’s website notes that BRD is a leading cause of death, illness and antibiotic treatment in calves from three weeks of age to […] Read more


File photo of northern Alberta farmland. (Wonganan/iStock/Getty Images)

Survey to look at farm stress from Alberta angle

Study to explore farmers' levels of resilience against stress

Researchers from the University of Alberta and AgKnow, the province’s farmer mental health network, are looking to build up Alberta-specific data on farming stress, mental health and well-being, and the ways in which farmers cope. They study team is “looking for farmers, ranchers, or anyone who works or lives on a farm” to participate, researchers […] Read more

Farmers face a number of uncontrollable factors that can lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, even suicide. (Eclipse_images/E+/Getty Images)

Free mental health training, workshops offered for farmers

Do More Ag Foundation expands programming available

Farmers seeking mental health support will have access to free training and community workshops for the fourth year in a row via the Do More Agriculture Foundation (DMAF) and Farm Credit Canada (FCC). Factors such as financial insecurity, uncontrollable weather and isolating working conditions contribute to high depression, anxiety and suicide rates among farmers, according […] Read more



Cynthia Beck speaks about chronic stress and health during a webinar hosted by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.

Prioritize your health during challenging situations

Basic self-care, awareness of stress responses and reaching out to others all key for dealing with difficult times

When faced with a crisis, prioritizing your physical and mental well-being is extremely important. “You are the number-one piece of machinery on your farm,” says Cynthia Beck, cow-calf producer at Milestone, Sask. and clinical psychology masters’ candidate at the University of Regina. Practicing self-care is vital, Beck explained during a recent Canadian Cattlemen’s Association webinar […] Read more



CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with MGEX July 2021 spring wheat (orange open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Hot, dry weather view sparks rallies

Corn, soybeans, wheats up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures rallied on Tuesday, supported by concerns that crops will face stress from adverse weather during the next few weeks. “The grains exploded out of the gates last night and remain double-digits higher… as forecasts turn hot and dry through mid-month,” Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist […] Read more


(Jevtic/iStock/Getty Images)

Report links business management, mental health of farmers

Farm women, young farmers report higher levels of stress, difficulties coping

Ottawa — A new report from Farm Management Canada (FMC) calls for action after determining 75 per cent of Canadian farmers reported being moderately to highly stressed about unpredictable interference, workload pressure and financial pressures. But how a farmer plans his or her business — and associated risks — can help lower that statistic. The […] Read more

Steve Ganczar last year realized trying to maintain a farm work/off-farm work/life balance was taking a serious physical toll.

When it’s time to say goodbye to your herd

As an agricultural lender, Steve Ganczar has seen many of his clients grapple with the decision to downsize or disperse their cow herd. Ganczar, a senior lender and supervisor at a credit union in Dauphin, Man., always empathized with the heartbreak that this decision can create, whether it was due to financial or health reasons. […] Read more