ROSTHERN — A team roping and breakaway event is set to get underway for its second time in honour of a young cowboy who tragically left too soon.
The Josh Lehmann Memorial Roping is set to happen at the Rosthern Ag Society arena located adjacent to the Seager Wheeler National Historical Site, seven kilometres east of Rosthern, just off Highway 312. Food trucks will also be on site. The breakaway roping begins at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Pre-registration was required for the breakaway roping, but team ropers have until 4:30 p.m. on July 25 to enter, with roping beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Proceeds are going towards a pair of charities not only relevant and meaningful to Josh, but that have an impact in rodeo and agriculture communities, the Rosthern Ag Society and SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network.
In October 2023, Josh succumbed to his mental health struggles. Josh grew up east of Rosthern. He was passionate about ranching, roping, and riding, and his passions led him to find new friends and opportunities at Lakeland College in Vermilion, where he received a diploma in Animal Science Technology, majoring in Beef Science. While there, Josh joined the rodeo team. He was known as a genuine teammate and a great help in and out of the arena. His Lakeland College peers remember Josh’s strong passion for anything ranch-related.
“Joshua was a cheerful, talented, kind man who made friends everywhere he went,” his mother Karen shared. “He was 6’5” and made everyone around him feel safe. He had a big laugh, an amazing smile and the best hugs.”
Roping was one of Josh’s favourite pastimes, and the event is not only a way to keep his memory alive but also to bring more awareness to mental health issues. Agriculture is an industry with a foundation of deep rural roots, hard work, resilience, strength and community. Upholding that image, those traits can become the industry’s weakness, as they become barriers to speaking up and seeking help. Mental health affects people in the agriculture industry at alarming rates, and it can be attributed to feeling the need to have everything together or to handle things on one's own. The AgHealth & Safety Network understands that farmers live under continuous pressure. Unfortunately, almost all of the stressors that impact farmers are out of their control, and the need for strengthening resiliency and effective stress management techniques is crucial. The goal of the SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network is to provide agriculture producers, their family members and agricultural workers across Saskatchewan with affordable and accessible mental health resources that they feel comfortable turning to in times of stress.
In farming, the change of seasons is inevitable. From the change of weather, operations, and the life cycle of animals and crops to markets, farmers go through various seasons that are sometimes welcomed, and other times can be challenging and detrimental to both the farm and the producer’s mental health. Living through difficult times can take a heavy toll on a person’s mood, health, and outlook. It can create a feeling of helplessness and overwhelming stress, and anxiety. Feeling that life is out of control and that one is powerless to affect whatever may happen next can leave a person feeling shaken to their core. In a study by Rudolphi, Berg, and Parsaik published in the Community Mental Health Journal in 2020, they found that 53 per cent of agriculture producers met the clinical classification for depression, and 71 per cent of producers met the clinical classification for anxiety. (Rudolphi, J.M., Berg, R.L., & Parsaik, A. (2020). Depression, anxiety and stress among young farmers and ranchers: A pilot study. Community Mental Health Journal, 56, 126-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00480-y) Stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout are all high in the industry and breaking the stigma around mental health through education and awareness is the first step to making a real and lasting change in the industry.
Thanks to the generous support of private donors and events such as the Josh Lehmann Memorial Roping, which raise awareness and donate proceeds, SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network Inc. can offer Saskatchewan producers six free one-hour sessions of counselling to support their mental wellness. Not a roper, not a problem, the event is free to come and watch. To support the event, contact Morgan at (306) 212-0318 or Cathy at (306) 212-7939.
