Sask. farmer promotes value of positive mental health among producers and others

Oct 05, 2023

Danielle Wildfong sees a lot of farmers struggling with mental health, and she wants to do something about it.

Wildfong works as a business consultant, helping families with their transition and succession planning, and she also does a lot of public speaking. Earlier this year, she was the keynote speaker at the Estevan Farmer's Appreciation Evening, when she addressed the issue of mental health and shared her own battles.

She said she wants to speak to farmers about the importance of mental health because she is a farmer herself.

"They're my clients. They're my family," she said in an interview with the Mercury and SaskToday. "I see the struggle that farmers go through in being in a business and being a family. My purpose in life is to really help farmers overcome obstacles and learn how to solve problems together."

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?