‘Pick-up man’: Organizations work to address mental health of Canadian farmers – CTV
June 07, 2026
Josh Lehmann was a cowboy from Rosthern, a tiny town near where the North and South Saskatchewan rivers meet and the open prairie rolls into the northern boreal forest.
He was a rodeo rider, a good friend, someone who would stop whatever they were doing to help.
Inside he struggled with his mental health, said his sister.
“He was just a cowboy through and through,” Morgan Lehmann said in an interview from her family’s ranch northeast of Saskatoon.
“We had talked about maybe getting him some help, but he definitely was more cautious and leery of reaching out.
“He didn’t want to be seen as anything less than tough.”
Josh took his own life in October 2023. He was 20.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada says farming and ranching are considered two of the most stressful occupations in the country. It’s a living that tests the hardiest of souls.
