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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

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Alberta farmers struggling in silence amid trade, climate challenges

Mar 21, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Thanks to the combined challenges posed by trade and climate, pressure on farmers and others in the agriculture sector is rapidly mounting.

This is portrayed, in part, in a new statement from the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC), responding to tariffs announced by China.

Mounting pressure also means a sharp increase in mental health concerns.

According to the GGC, uncertainty with the United States — Canada’s largest export market — grows exponentially concerning, given new threats of a trade war from China, which is Canada’s second largest trade partner.

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The Chinese government announced this week it would impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola oil, canola meal, and peas.

“Together, the U.S. and China account for over half of all Canadian grain exports — losing access or facing exorbitant tariffs in both markets at once is a threat farmers cannot afford to absorb,” says Kyle Larkin, executive director, GGC.

“Farmers are being treated as collateral damage in international trade disputes. We’re calling on the government to take immediate action — first, to engage with China to find a resolution and, second, to establish a compensation plan to cover the financial losses farmers are facing.”

In 2024, Canada exported 2 million metric tonnes of canola meal to China, valued at $918 million, and over 15,000 metric tonnes of canola oil, valued at over $20.5 million, according to the GGC.

As all this festers, the mental health of farmers is understandably taking a hit.

Per Counselling Alberta (CA), based in Calgary, it’s actually a matter of life and death.

One in four Alberta farmers feel like life isn’t worth living. Rural males are twice as likely to die by suicide than urban males. A troubling 57 per cent of farmers experience anxiety, while 45 per cent face high stress, and 35 per cent experience depression. Despite the need, the organization says, 40 per cent of farmers feel uneasy about asking for help due to stigma and lack of resources.

“You could be growing a great crop and who knows what you’ll get for it? Not to mention, the cost of machinery is already going up, and is already high to start with. The thing about uncertainty is that it causes anxiety, and farmers know this,” says Che Burnett, a counsellor with Counselling Alberta, who is also part of the AGKNOW Alberta Farm Mental Health Network.

Burnett says the effects on farmers and ranchers are evident, even though there hasn’t necessarily been a spike in clients from that occupation.

“Farmers are sometimes the last people to go and receive help because there’s generally a fairly independent pride, and culture. [As well], generally people [in this area] are dependent on the people in their community. People in rural [areas] have also had less access to services than those in urban areas, so they’re also less familiar.”

Burnett, who has a background in silviculture and agriculture himself, says there’s a movement across Canada to have therapists fine-tune their services and reach out more to those in ag.

“A lot of the things you’re dealing with, just because they’re normal, doesn’t mean it’s not a heavy burden or stress to be carrying around,” is his message to people in agriculture.

“What we’re seeing now is with more men [especially], are [recognizing] it’s safe to talk. Even if we can’t carry a conversation, just starting a conversation often is a really nice bridge for people to know they’re not alone with what they’re carrying.”

Burnett says if it means conducting a counselling session with someone whilst driving a tractor, they’re ready to meet that person where they are.

More information about AGKNOW is at agknow.ca.

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