The annual Tractor Tug for Tots took place at the University of Guelph on Tuesday morning. Students, supporters, faculty and staff gathered to pull heavy farm equipment in support of farmers’ mental health. Some participants pulled small vehicles, such as ride-on lawnmowers, while others took on heavy machinery like a John Deere 6M 105. Ontario Agricultural College student Sophia Worsley led her team in pulling a nearly 6,300-kilogram tractor for a cause close to her heart. “This is a tradition that my dad participated in when he was here at Guelph, so it’s just keeping on that family tradition,” Worsley said. Josie Meyers, media assistant for the Tractor Tug for Tots Foundation, told CTV News the goal was to raise $20,000 to mark the event’s 20th anniversary. It was a goal they exceeded, thanks to a record 26 teams signing up to pull. This year’s donations will go to Agriculture Wellness Ontario, an organization that supports mental health initiatives across the agricultural industry. “We know through an abundance of research, particularly from research out of the University of Guelph, that farmers are really struggling with their mental health,” said Avery Dixon, a spokesperson for Agriculture Wellness Ontario. “We see rates of suicide to be about twice as high in farming as in the general population.” “We know farming is so challenging,” Dixon added. “Whether that’s equipment uncertainty, financial pressures, weather, market prices — all these things make it really challenging. But it’s also a beautiful livelihood, and we want to make sure farmers know they can share those struggles as well as those triumphs with us.” These are struggles and triumphs the next generation of farmers, including Worsley and her teammates, will undoubtedly face. “We’re pretty much an all-girls team, so we like to show girl power and we’re here to raise money for a good cause,” Worsley said.
