Dr. Briana Hagen, Chief Executive Officer and Lead Scientist of the Canadian Centre for Agriculture Wellbeing, is an expert in farmer mental health. With a PhD in Population Medicine from the University of Guelph and a background in Community Health and Epidemiology, Dr. Hagen’s research focuses on the mental health challenges farmers face and the factors influencing their help-seeking behavior. She co-developed the mental health literacy training program ‘In the Know’ and has won multiple awards, including the 2020 Brigid Rivoire Award for Champions of Agricultural Mental Health. Dr. Hagen is dedicated to collaborative research and strong partnerships within the agricultural community.

Marnie Wood is a passionate Ontario dairy farmer and Registered Psychotherapist with deep roots in agriculture. She is also the Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing. She holds a BAH in Sociology and Rural Extension from the University of Guelph and has held various roles, including Ontario Dairy Educator for Dairy Farmers of Ontario. In 2017, she became a Registered Psychotherapist after completing graduate studies at the University of Toronto.

Currently, Marnie manages The Guardian Network at Agriculture Wellness Ontario, focusing on suicide prevention in the farming community. She combines her expertise in agriculture and mental health to support Canada's farming community through education, policy, and public health initiative

Professor Sue Brumby is a distinguished expert in farmer health, rural mental health, safety, and primary prevention. She was the founding director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, where she provided visionary leadership for 13 years until July 2021. Her PhD, awarded in 2013, concentrated on the health, wellbeing, and safety of farm families across various agricultural sectors in Australia.

Prof. Brumby pioneered Australia's first Graduate Certificate in Agricultural Health and Medicine, a community-engaged, interprofessional postgraduate course designed to enhance the cultural competence of health and rural professionals working in agricultural settings. She has successfully secured over 12 million AUD in funding between 2002 and 2023, leading numerous ARC and NHMRC grants as well as place based primary health service delivery to agricultural communities including the Sustainable Farm Families program.

With over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles to her name, Prof. Brumby has an h-index of 25 and an i10-index of 44 according to Google Scholar. She serves as the Chair of the Western Victorian Primary Health Network covering an area of 79,843 square kilometres. 

Prof. Brumby has extensive experience in academia, having supervised a diverse range of students, including honours, postgraduate, psychology, and public health master's students, and four PhD candidates to successful completion.  She also managed the family beef and wool property.  

In addition to her work in Australia, Prof. Brumby has presented and collaborated internationally, including in Canada, Bangladesh, Germany, India, New Zealand and Indonesia.

Josie Rudolphi, PhD, is an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Rudolphi’s research quantifies the burden of mental health conditions among agricultural populations, identifies risk and protective factors, and considers socio-ecological interventions to improve mental health. She is the director of the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance, a 12-state collaborative that increases and expands stress and mental health services to agricultural producers, workers, and their families.

She has her PhD in Occupational and Environmental Health from the University of Iowa. Dr. Rudolphi was raised on a corn and soybean farm in east central Iowa and remains involved in the operation.

Tim May is a 4th generation dairy farmer, seasoned speaker, and influential social media advocate from Ontario. With deep roots in agriculture and a unique dual perspective as both a farmer and online presence, Tim brings firsthand knowledge of the daily stressors farmers face, including weather, market shifts, activism, and work-life balance. He is passionate about mental health in agriculture, sharing authentic insights and real-life experiences that resonate with audiences. Through global conversations and genuine engagement, Tim works to break the stigma around farmer welfare, offering practical strategies for stress management and mental health protection.

Dallas Haywood is a Metis elder and medicine wheel educator, who has created a wellness template based on Oji-Cree-Metis culture with additional concepts resulting from extensive studies in both ancient and modern religions and cultures, physics and deeper applications of the Law of Attraction.

The Cloudwalker Medicine Wheel is an explanation of how the different aspects of personhood relate to each other and, when balanced, enhance quality of life, leading to vibrant health, renewed motivation and release of common stressors. This wheel has been used by students of all ages and backgrounds to improve and heal any adverse or less than desired situation.

Dallas was raised on a farm and currently raises and trains trail horses for obstacle and agility riding, and for mental health support for seniors and at risk youth.

Kyle is a young writer and director whose work often explores dysfunctional family relationships and themes of isolation, indecision and coming-of-age set in distinctly rural Ontario landscapes. Being raised on a sheep farm outside of Goderich, Ontario as a child of divorce has enormously affected his work, including his last two films; A View of the Lake (2018) and Menesetung (2015). A View of the Lake won “Best Fiction” and was nominated for “Best Director” at Yorkton Film Festival, and was selected at Cinéfest Sudbury among other festivals. Menesetung was selected in TIFF Canada’s Top Ten, and won “Best Film” at the Ryerson University Film Festival. 

Deep Rooted represents a shift to documentary filmmaking, exploring the crisis in mental health in agriculture and its relationship with legacy and outdated notions of gender.

Van Wickiam is a Toronto based producer and founder of Public Space Productions. Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Film Studies program in 2015, Van has produced several award winning short films, including A View of the Lake (2018), Monkey, Love Please-Hold (2022) and Heap (2024) that have played in festivals across the world. Van looks to bring films to life that provide unique perspectives on social issues, particularly on mental health.

Darry Boersma is a farmer and proud father, who runs a 3500 acre, self made farm near Mount Brydges, Ontario. The farm faced numerous hardships including crop failure from vomitoxin, financial pressures and environmental challenges, all exacerbated by Darryl's own mental health challenges.

Darryl learned to prioritize his own wellbeing and is now speaking out to help others focus on their own mental health.