MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The Mountain View County agriculture service board (ASB) is in support of efforts aimed at promoting the mental health of the province’s farmers and ranchers, says chair Tietsia Huyzer.
During the Jan. 20-22 provincial ASB conference in Edmonton, member boards passed a resolution in support of the AgKnow mental health organization. The county’s board was one of those in support.
The resolution specifically calls on the minister of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation to “waive the matching funding requirement through Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to support AgKnow, Alberta Farm Mental Health Network to ensure that the Farm-Informed Therapy Program for agricultural producers continues to grow and is free of charge in Alberta.”
Mountain View ASB chair Huyzer said the AgKnow organization and its programs are valuable and needed by the ag community, including in this district.
“Mountain View County Agriculture Service Board is a strong supporter of AgKnow, an organization providing mental health support for farm families,” Huyzer said.
“AgKnow has seen good uptake but does not have a reliable funding stream and had to let staff go resulting in inadequate support for our farming community.
“Our ASB voted in favour of this resolution as we see the importance of the work this organization does. With this resolution, it will be brought to the attention of the ministries that deal with mental health and agriculture and hopefully action will be taken.”
The ASB is made up of county councillors and appointed members of the district’s agriculture community. It advices the county and province on agriculture-related issues and concerns.
Mountain View County ASB members attended a fundraising gala in November and “noticed the widespread support there is for the work (AgKnow) are doing and based on the testimonies that evening, the big impact these resources have on those that were able to use them,” she said.
“Our ASB will follow closely what happens to this resolution and will continue to advocate to increase funding and strengthen the organization where possible.”
The background note accompanying the ASB resolution states: “Due to the economic importance of the agriculture sector and the overall reluctance for farmers to engage with current mental health supports, it is imperative that the province support appropriate mental health care to ensure the long-term success and survival of the agriculture industry.”
The ASB board passed seven other resolutions at the recent provincial conference.
One calls on the ministers of energy, environment and agriculture to collaboratively establish a central point of contact for identifying landholders to send communications to industry and government agencies for matters related to agriculture legislation.
Another calls on the ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and the ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade to institute a veterinarian student temporary employment program for rural mixed and large animal veterinary clinics to support the attraction and retention of veterinary students throughout rural Alberta.
Another calls on the ministry of Education to work collaboratively with ASBs, rural municipalities and the minister of Agriculture and Irrigation to establish a dedicated funding stream for agriculture educations.
The resolutions will be used by the ASBs to lobby the provincial government for action on the specific issues and concerns raised.
