Warning: This story includes references to suicide.
Eight months after she lost her brother Josh, Morgan Lehmann went to a rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and saw people wearing yellow feathers in their hats and hair.
She was curious about what it meant.
“They made this announcement about their campaign called ‘Everybody Needs a Pick-up Man,’ Lehmann said in a recent interview with host Leisha Grebinski on CBC’s Blue Sky.
“And obviously, the loss of Josh was pretty fresh at that time … and I just, I was really taken aback that this was something that people were talking about on this level,”
The feathers were part of an awareness campaign, a way for people in agricultural circles to show their willingness to be a source of support for someone struggling with mental health issues.
A member of the rodeo’s board had died by suicide, like Lehmann’s beloved brother.
Josh was larger than life, Lehmann said, “Both in the physical, and just presence and friendship. He was six-foot-five, [a] really big guy. And everybody says he gave the best hugs. He wasn’t scared to hug his friends and he was super helpful.”
Josh competed for the rodeo team at Lakeland College in Alberta, where he went to school. Lehmann said he was a friend to everyone there, and always volunteered to help.
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She remembers the community that wrapped its support around her family after he died.
“I was in university at the time and I had friends. I obviously went home. I’m only an hour out of Saskatoon, and so I went home with my family the day that it happened and I had friends driving out to drop off lasagnas, and man, it was, it was phenomenal.”
To honour Josh’s memory, they started the Josh Lehmann Memorial Team Roping Jackpot in Saskatchewan.
In the rodeo world, pick-up men are specialized, highly skilled cowboys on horseback who act as safety officers during rough stock events.
“Rodeo athletes, when they reach out for the help of that pick-up man, they’re not seen as weak or less of an athlete,” Lehmann said.
(Submitted by Morgan Lehmann)
Inspired by what she saw in Wyoming, she approached Merle Massie, executive director of the Do More Agriculture Foundation (DMAF), a national charity focusing on mental health in agriculture.
“In the second year [of the jackpot event], I was talking to Merle and said, ‘Would this kind of be possible? Do you think it’s a good idea to make this part of our annual event?’ And she was so supportive in helping me get it started,” Lehmann said.
Yellow feathers will be distributed at the memorial roping event this year on July 24 at Seager Wheeler Farm in Rosthern, Sask.
Massie grew up on a farm and lost her brother to suicide in 2004. She knows the importance of mental health support for people in agriculture.
When she saw Lehmann’s campaign take off, she invited her to talk about it on her therapy podcast, called Are We Okay?
“Communities can come for ideas and inspiration about what you can do at the community level. So, something like the yellow feather campaign was a perfect fit,” Massie said.
“And we reached out to Cheyenne Frontier Days and we talked to Morgan and did a podcast episode.”
It’s become one of the most popular episodes, Massie said.
(Instagram)
“It’s always the right time to reach out for support,” said Cynthia Beck, board chair of SaskAgMatters (SAGM) Mental Health Network, a non-profit organization run by volunteers who work in agriculture, research and mental health.
“About seven years ago, we all were brought together to do research because we recognized a need within our agricultural population that was not being met, which is effective and appropriate services with an agricultural understanding,” Beck said.
SAGM provides counseling services in person, virtually or over the phone to agricultural producers, family members and employees.
The counselors all have agricultural backgrounds or knowledge.
SAGM’s toll-free farm crisis line is available 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-667-4442.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s other ways to look for help:
