Hacked and Hooped

 My wife and I had made plans to get away for a few days—a little escape from the usual chaos. We even booked a resort that offered a spa pass. Now, I’m not much of a spa guy, but somehow, I got roped into that part of the deal. I could say more about it, but for the sake of my dignity, I won’t.

The plan was simple: I had a mediation in the morning, and then we’d hit the road. Bags were packed, the car was ready, and my wife was looking forward to a few days of relaxation. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as most people know, the best-laid plans are really just an invitation for disaster.

When I walked out of my mediation, the office staff approached me with a look I can only describe as concerning. Had I, they wondered, meant to send everyone an email in the middle of the mediation? Unless I had suddenly developed the ability to mediate and type at the same time, the answer was a hard no. That’s when it hit me—I had been hacked. Or at least, my computer had.

In a flash I knew what had happened. The day before had been busy with lots of tasks that needed completing. Late afternoon I received an email that looked legitimate from a trusted contact. To save myself some embarrassment I will just say the rest is history.

Suddenly, the relaxing getaway took a backseat to digital disaster control. I rushed home to find my wife, bags in hand, ready to hit the road. Unfortunately, we weren’t going anywhere until I sorted out the cyber mess. Thankfully, I had an IT guy who answered my distress call.

Now, let me tell you, watching someone untangle a hacked computer is about as enjoyable as watching paint dry. It took an excruciating hour and a half to wrestle control back from the faceless hacker who had so rudely hijacked my email. It’s terrifying how easily these cyber bandits can infiltrate your system and create havoc. By the time my IT guy declared victory, I felt like I’d just run a marathon in the middle of a heatwave.

With the crisis (mostly) averted, we finally hit the road. My wife drove while I tackled my next task: sending an apology email to everyone who had received the nefarious message from my compromised account. I stopped counting at 125. Nothing says “relaxing vacation” like issuing a mass warning about cyber fraud from the passenger seat.

Technology and I have always had a complicated relationship. Any IT issue sends my stress levels skyrocketing. On one hand, I’d love to throw my computer, my phone, and every other device through the nearest window. On the other hand, I have to admit, these gadgets do make life easier—when they work. Quite the paradox.

At the time, it felt like a disaster. But looking back, I realize these stressors always seem like the end of the world in the moment. The key is to take a deep breath, tackle the problem as soon as you can, and move on. More often than not, the stress fades quicker than expected, and there’s always a lesson to be learned. In this case, I learned, again, that stress can cause distractions which can cause issues. Oh, and maybe be careful on which emails I open even if they seem to be from a trusted contact. In the end, the stress of being hacked faded faster than I expected. The getaway turned out to be just what I needed—though I still have mixed feelings about the spa.

The Hidden Risk: How Mental Health Impacts Farm Safety

 Canadian Ag Safety Week serves as an important reminder that farm safety isn’t just about machinery, equipment, and protocols—it’s also about the people who make farming possible. The reality is that farming is one of the most dangerous occupations, and while we often focus on the physical risks, we rarely talk about the hidden danger: mental health. When stress, anxiety, and exhaustion take hold, the consequences can be just as serious as a mechanical failure.

I’ve experienced this firsthand. I remember many occasions when I was working on the farm, distracted by various stressors, and safety became secondary. One day, when I needed to get some baling done, the tractor wouldn’t start. In my haste, I did what many have done before—I took a screwdriver to direct-start the tractor at the starter. What I failed to check was whether the tractor was in gear. It wasn’t. The moment it started, it lurched forward. Thankfully, it was in the lowest gear, giving me just enough time to step aside. That moment still sticks with me. It could have ended very differently, and I often look back and think, "That was too close for comfort."

When stress, anxiety, and depression set in, they impair our ability to make sound decisions. Fatigue leads to slower reaction times, distraction increases the likelihood of mistakes, and unchecked stress can cloud our judgment.

Farmers deal with countless factors outside of their control—commodity prices, weather, equipment failures, and market uncertainty. This constant unpredictability wreaks havoc on our minds, leaving us feeling powerless. And yet, the pressure to “push through” remains. There’s an unspoken expectation in agriculture that you work until the job is done, no matter the toll it takes on you. But at what cost? When exhaustion sets in, mistakes happen. A missed step, a moment of inattention, or a delayed reaction can turn into a life-altering accident.

The culture of farming has long been one of resilience, but resilience doesn’t mean suffering in silence. We need to start having open conversations about mental health in our farm communities. Checking in on our neighbors, employees, and family members is just as important as checking the oil in our tractors. A simple, “How are you really doing?” can make a world of difference.

That’s where organizations like the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program (MFWP) come in. MFWP provides accessible mental health support tailored specifically for farmers. Seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a proactive step toward ensuring both personal and farm safety.

Mental health isn’t just a personal struggle—it’s a safety issue. A farm can’t run without its farmer. If we truly want to prioritize safety in agriculture, we need to start by taking care of ourselves and each other. So this Ag Safety Week, let’s commit to looking out for one another. Because without the farmer, there is no farm.

Manure Happens: Turning Life’s Messes into Growth

 Although temperatures have finally started going in the right direction, there were a few weeks where it was rather harsh. Winter struck hard as temperatures plummeted. And, of course, that is when all things seem to go wrong. One of our vehicles had to go to the garage for some warranty work. That meant trying to start another one that normally stays buried in the snow over winter. Needless to say, it did not start and disappeared on the back of a tow truck. That simply meant that I would not be going any where for a day or two. In the midst of all of that our hot water tank decided it no longer needed to do what its designed to do. It being the weekend left me few options.

I found myself thinking back to my farming days when these things would happen. I realized I was a tad more relaxed than I would have been back in the day. When things break down on the farm they get dealt with asap.

To put it bluntly, s**t (manure) happens. If you’ve spent any time on a farm, you know that manure is unavoidable. It piles up in the barn, gets tracked on your boots, and somehow always seems to find its way into places it shouldn’t be. But as much as we might complain about it, we also know that manure isn’t just a mess—it’s fertilizer. It nourishes the soil, making way for new growth. And just like on the farm, life has its own way of dumping messes on us. The trick is figuring out how to turn them into something useful.

Manure happens. It’s part of farming, and it’s part of life. No matter how careful you are, there will always be challenges, setbacks, and unexpected hurdles. Instead of fighting against the mess, learn to expect it. Knowing that difficulties are inevitable can help you stay calm when they show up.

On the farm, you don’t clean up manure with your bare hands. You grab a shovel, a pitchfork, or a tractor, depending on the scale of the mess. In life, the same principle applies. When challenges arise, having the right tools—whether it’s knowledge, support from others, or a good sense of humor—can make all the difference in how you handle them.

Anyone who’s worked with livestock knows that if you ignore manure, it only gets worse. The same goes for life’s problems. Ignoring stress, conflict, or responsibilities only leads to bigger messes down the road. The best approach is to deal with things as they come—clean up small problems before they turn into overwhelming ones.

Manure does stink. I remember those days where I worked in the barn all day, cleaned up as best I could, and then went to a social event. I found myself continuously sniffing. Is that manure I smell? Did I miss a spot? But manure can also serve a purpose. Its fertilizer. It helps things grow. Likewise, life’s difficulties, though unpleasant, often lead to growth. Hard times build resilience, failures teach valuable lessons, and struggles shape who we become.

I suspect anyone that farms with livestock would have some funny stories to tell about manure. Let’s be honest—sometimes manure is just plain funny. Farming teaches you to laugh at the messes, because if you didn’t, you’d go crazy. The same is true in life. Finding humor in tough situations doesn’t mean ignoring their seriousness, but it does make them easier to handle. Laughter is a great coping tool, and sometimes, a good joke is exactly what’s needed to get through the stinkiest of times.

At the end of the day, manure happens. It’s messy and it’s frustrating, but it’s also necessary. Whether on the farm or in life, the key is to find ways to turn the mess into something meaningful. Because when you step back and look at the big picture, you’ll see that all those messy moments were actually feeding something bigger—your growth, your strength, and maybe even your next great harvest.

Analysis Paralysis

 I was chatting this week with a colleague who used the term analysis paralysis in reference to the stress created by “unknowns”. Farming has always been a business of uncertainty. Weather, markets, equipment breakdowns—you name it. But lately, there’s been another layer of stress added to the mix: tariffs. These unpredictable trade barriers are making an already challenging industry even harder to navigate. And for many farmers, that’s leading to a frustrating and exhausting condition—analysis paralysis.

When every decision feels fraught with danger, making the right call becomes overwhelming. Should you invest in equipment now, or wait? Should you sell your grain at today’s prices, or hope for a better deal? Should you expand, contract, or hold steady? The stress of tariffs and other external pressures creates a situation where no choice feels like a good one, and instead of moving forward, you find yourself stuck.

This paralysis isn’t just frustrating—it’s debilitating. It’s the fear of making the wrong decision when every option comes with significant risk. And in farming, where profit margins are already razor-thin, even a small misstep can have serious consequences. The unknowns of today and tomorrow—shifting trade policies, changing costs, and unpredictable supply chains—only amplify that stress.

I remember a time when I was still farming, and hog prices had taken a nosedive. Every day, I found myself staring at market reports, trying to predict whether things would improve or get worse. Should I sell now and cut my losses, or hang on and hope for a rebound? Feed costs were rising, bills were stacking up, and I was stuck in a cycle of overthinking. The stress of not knowing what would happen next kept me up at night, and no matter how many scenarios I played out in my head, none of them seemed good.

Looking back, I realize that I wasn’t just weighing options—I was paralyzed by them. Every path felt like a gamble, and the fear of making the wrong decision stopped me from making any decision at all. Eventually, I had to accept that there was no perfect answer. I made a choice, and while it wasn’t easy, at least I was moving forward instead of standing still.

When we’re under constant stress, our ability to make sound decisions suffers. The human brain isn’t wired to operate at peak performance under long-term pressure. Instead, we fall into patterns of overanalyzing, second-guessing, and sometimes avoiding decisions altogether.

This type of stress can also lead to reactive decision-making—choosing the path that seems easiest at the moment rather than the one that aligns with long-term goals. It’s a survival instinct, but in farming, short-term fixes often create long-term problems. When we let stress dictate our choices, we may lock in losses rather than finding opportunities to thrive.

So, what can be done? While we can’t eliminate tariffs or other uncertainties, we can develop strategies to manage stress and move forward with confidence.

1. Focus on What You Can Control – Tariffs and trade policies are outside of your hands, but budgeting, planning, and risk management are not. Taking proactive steps in the areas you can influence helps bring back a sense of control.
2. Seek Trusted Advice – Having a solid support network of fellow farmers, financial advisors, and industry experts can provide much-needed perspective. Sometimes, just talking through a problem with someone else makes the right choice clearer.
3. Set Decision Deadlines – Overanalyzing can keep you stuck indefinitely. Instead of waiting for the “perfect” time, set deadlines for your decisions and commit to moving forward.
4. Take Care of Yourself – Stress management isn’t just about business strategy; it’s about personal well-being. Exercise, rest, and time away from constant decision-making help reset the mind and improve clarity.
5. Accept That There Is No Perfect Decision – Every choice comes with some level of risk. Accepting that reality can help shift your mindset from fear of failure to confidence in adaptability.
6. Reach Out for Professional Support – Sometimes, the weight of uncertainty and stress becomes too much to manage alone. Speaking with a counsellor who understands agriculture, such as those at the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, can provide valuable tools and support. Seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a way to gain clarity, manage stress, and build resilience.

Farming is tough, and today’s uncertainties make it even tougher. But being stuck in analysis paralysis won’t change the challenges ahead. The key is to acknowledge the stress, manage it, and move forward—one decision at a time.