Lesley Kelly: Making Mental Health Part of Life on the Farm

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On many Canadian farms, the weather, the markets and the long hours are discussed every day. How people are actually coping often is not. Lesley Kelly, a grain farmer in Saskatchewan, decided that silence needed to end. By speaking openly and helping to launch the Do More Agriculture Foundation, she has helped make mental health something farm families can talk about at the kitchen table. In a month when many Canadians focus on mental health, her story is worth telling.

A farmer and a storyteller

Kelly farms with her family in Saskatchewan, where they grow canola, and barley from the family farm is used in Martin Munchies snacks. Before she was known for advocacy, she built a career in branding, communications and marketing.

She put those skills to work with High Heels and Canola Fields, a blog she started to share her love of food and farming and to help bridge the gap between farmers and the people who eat what they grow. She also co-hosts the What The Farm podcast and has served on agriculture boards and associations, including Saskatchewan Wheat and Farm and Food Saskatchewan.

Co-founding Do More Agriculture

Kelly is one of four founders of the Do More Agriculture Foundation, alongside co-founders including Kim Keller. The group set out to bring mental health resources to agriculture, raise awareness of the issue across the industry and keep it on the agenda. Kelly also raised money for the cause by selling shirts, with all proceeds going to Do More Ag.

She has said the biggest risk she took was “sharing my family’s mental health story publicly at a time when few in agriculture were talking about it.” Her proudest accomplishment, in her words, is “helping change how mental health is viewed and supported across Canadian farms.”

What Do More Ag offers today

Do More Ag is now a registered Canadian charity with a clear mission: “to cultivate a culture of mental wellbeing with Canadian farming communities.” Its offerings include:

• Crisis resources and a self check-in tool called Hay Are You OK
• AgTalk, workshops and events
• The Hay Are We Okay podcast
• An ambassador program and a community of practice
• A community resource hub and a 2026 Community Fund

Recognition

YWCA Regina named Kelly a Women of Distinction for her contributions to mental health. In 2025 she was a finalist in the Social Change, National Impact category of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. She now speaks on stages around the world about farming and mental health, carrying a lesson from her dad: “success isn’t measured by how much land you farm or the equipment you drive.”

Follow her work

Learn about the foundation’s tools and events at Do More Agriculture Foundation, which is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and X. Read more about Kelly in her Women of Influence+ finalist profile.

• High Heels and Canola Fields, Lesley Kelly’s website

Questions and answers