Agricultural
PEER SUPPORT
Network
What is the Peer Support Network?
The Peer Support Network is a growing community of New Brunswickers dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being within agricultural communities.
What is a Peer Supporter?
A Farm Talk Care Peer Supporter is an individual committed to building mental health awareness, understanding, and support within New Brunswick’s farming community.
Become a Peer Supporter
Interested in supporting mental health in your farming community? Join the New Brunswick Agricultural Peer Support Network and make a difference.
The Agricultural Peer Support Network is a volunteer-based community of mental health-informed individuals who help support New Brunswick’s farmers and farm workers.
Here to support New Brunswick’s agricultural community—while also supporting each other.
A strong sense of community and connection is a powerful protective factor for mental well-being.
Peer Support Network
What is the Peer Support Network?
The Peer Support Network is a growing community of New Brunswickers
Dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being within agricultural communities. Members of this network who have completed training are known as Peer Supporters.
Through the Farm Talk Care program, trained Peer Supporters learn how to:
- Recognize signs of mental health struggles or suicidal thoughts
- Have safe, compassionate conversations
- Connect people with helpful resources and support
Peer Supporters are not therapists or counselors. They listen, support, and guide—while also taking care of their own well-being.
Together, Peer Supporters foster a culture of care, connection, and support—helping to break down stigma and build stronger, healthier communities.
The Goal
Building Community Support Around Farmers
The Peer Support Network works to strengthen community support capacity around farmers and agricultural workers by offering organized training, meaningful networking opportunities, and ongoing support to as many individuals as possible.
This network brings together farmers, agricultural workers, and rural community members who want to help one another. Through shared experiences, practical tools, peer connections and mutual care, the network aims to help farmers and agricultural workers navigate life’s challenges with hope, support, and encouragement.
Peer Supporter
A Peer Supporter Is:
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A Supportive Listener
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An Understanding Peer
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A Connection to Resources
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A Community Advocate
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Trained & Supported
A Farm Talk Care Peer Supporter is an individual committed to building mental health awareness, understanding, and support within New Brunswick’s farming community.
How to Access Peer Support?
As the Peer Support Network continues to grow, you may already know people in your community who are part of the network and available to talk. If you know a Peer Supporter and feel comfortable, don’t hesitate to reach out—they’re here to listen and help.
To be connected directly with a Peer Supporter, please contact us:
- Email: talkparle@fermenbfarm.ca
- Phone: 1-506-260-5377
- Or fill out our quick Connection Request Form
In distress or concerned about someone? If you would like to talk to someone right away please call the National Farmer Wellness Network Crisis Line 1-866-FARMS01 (1-866-327-6701), call or text the mental health crisis line 9-8-8, or you can find other crisis supports and helpline numbers here. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or visit your local emergency room.
Who can become a Peer Supporter?
Anyone with regular contact in the farming world—whether through work, volunteering, or community involvement—can be a Peer Supporter. This includes:
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Farm owners, operators and workers
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Veterinarians, breeders, livestock dealers, seed or feed salespeople
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Milk truck drivers, field service representatives, financial advisors
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Community developers, food security advocates, mental health professionals
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Agricultural sector government employees (DAAF)
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Family members of farmers or farm workers
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Other community members
It also includes farmers and farm workers themselves who want to connect with their community, support others in their community and gain tools to manage their own mental health.
If you care about mental health and want to help, you belong here.
A Peer Supporter can be anyone within or connected to New Brunswick’s agriculture community who wants to better understand mental health and recognize signs of suicide to support their personal and professional networks. By completing the Peer Support Network training, they gain basic knowledge of suicide prevention principles and learn how to connect others with the right support and resources.
Why Become a
Peer Supporter?
A strong sense of community and connection is a protective factor in mental well being — for both your own and others’. Helping others and being skillful at asking for help yourself can have a positive impact on your own mental health too.
What You'll Gain
Training to:
- Recognize signs of mental health decline or substance use issues
- Develop greater empathy and decreased stigma towards people with lived or living experience of mental health challenges
- Increase confidence in providing help to others
- Guide people to helpful resources
- Have tough conversations with less fear of “saying the wrong thing”
- Maintain confidentiality and respect boundaries — including your own
- Recognize personal capacity and practice self-care
Build Connections
- Connect and learn from peers
- Learn about available resources
- Recognize that others also encounter challenging times. You are not alone.
Support for You, Too
Supporting others means you need support too. It is especially important for individuals providing peer support to access support themselves.
Peer Supporters get free, confidential access to professional therapists through the Farmer Wellness Program.
Be a Mental Health Ambassador (Optional)
- Be recognised in your community as an advocate for mental health.
- Open the door for others to discuss mental health experiences.
Flexible Commitment
After completing your initial training, you decide how much time you give. Your involvement can shift depending on your availability. We schedule training to align with slower farming seasons whenever possible.
Become a Farm Talk Care Peer Supporter
Want to get involved? Apply Now
Become a Peer Supporter
Interested in supporting mental health in your farming community? Join the New Brunswick Agricultural Peer Support Network and make a difference.
How It Works
- Apply Online
Submit a quick application form. - Readiness Check & Training Registration
We’ll contact you to chat about your fit for the Peer Support role and, if eligible, coordinate registration for upcoming training opportunities. - Complete Training
Learn essential skills in mental health support, crisis response, and communication. - Join the Network
Candidates who complete the training will become volunteer Peer Supporters, ready to provide support in their communities. - Ongoing Support
You’ll have access to ongoing support specifically tailored to Peer Supporters to ensure their own well-being, including regular check-ins, counseling, and a dedicated support contact.
Training:
Peer Supporters complete training, provided or covered by Farm Talk Care, to gain foundational knowledge and skills in:
- Identifying signs of mental health distress and how to initiate conversations about mental well-being
- Effective listening & peer support techniques
- Local resource awareness
- How to maintain strict confidentiality, set boundaries and have realistic expectations of their Peer Support role.
- Sharing lived experiences to inspire hope and encourage recovery
Continued Support for You:
Supporting the well-being of Peer Supporters is just as important as the support they offer others. This is ensured through:
- Group check-ins and 1-on-1 support from mental health professionals
- Opportunities to connect with other Peer Supporters
- Annual training and in-person gatherings
- A staff member dedicated to supporting your role
What’s Expected:
- Encourage others to seek help and use available resources
- Help community members navigate support options
- Take part in annual mental health training
- Model self-care and support safe, respectful conversations
Connect with a
Peer Supporter
Please complete the form below to request a connection with a Peer Supporter.
Peer Supporters are not therapists or counselors — they are trained community members who listen with empathy, offer encouragement, and help guide you toward additional resources if needed. This is a non-clinical and non-crisis service that does not replace professional or emergency mental health care.
Peer support is available at no cost, and you can self-refer at any time. Sessions may be offered one-on-one or in small groups, depending on availability.