Erica Sayles has been passionate about agriculture since she could walk; and she was leading cows around shortly after.
Born into a farming family, Sayles grew up on a dairy farm in the County of Brant that was started by her grandfather in the 1960s. Bridon Farms has since been worked by three generations, and Sayles attributes her childhood there for teaching her both the value of hard work and igniting “my passion for agriculture.”
Growing up, she was involved in the Brant County 4-H program, volunteered at the Paris Fair, and later became a member of the Paris Agricultural Society.
“From the get-go, my grandparents were both heavily involved in the agricultural society, and my family brought animals to show every year at the fair, and so it was a tradition to attend the fair,” Sayles said.
When she got older, she decided to compete in the fair ambassador competition. She won, becoming the 2016/2017 ambassador of the Paris Fair, and also went on to become the CNE Ambassador of the Fairs the following year.
Being the Paris fair ambassador gave her a behind-the-scenes look at how it at happened. “It’s a really great group of people that work to help make the fair be what it is, and they’re a lot of fun as well,” Sayles said.
After being ambassador, she joined the board as a junior director, a role she’s held since 2017.
“No matter how hard the work that we’re doing is, whether it’s setting up or taking down horse stalls or scanning tickets at fair time… it’s always a fun group of people you get to do it with, and it’s incredible that we also get to produce a fair that’s as well put together as the Paris fair is,” Sayles said.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph, majoring in Animal Science and graduated in 2019. A couple of years working in animal nutrition and the dairy scene followed, including running her popular @jerseywow account on TikTok during the pandemic.
Being involved with the Ag Society remains one of the things she’s proudest of. It’s helped her in so many ways since, both personally and professionally, from fostering connections to driving her ability to speak publicly.
Her background with the Paris Fair eventually led her to work for Agriculture Wellness Ontario. A friend of hers, who she’d met while volunteering for the fair, sent her a job posting and suggested that Sayles apply.
“So you can really go back and thank my time at Paris Fair for my current role,” Sayles said.
Currently, Sayles is an Outreach Coordinator with Agriculture Wellness Ontario, focused on growing and promoting their ‘In the Know’ program within the agricultural community.
In the Know is a mental health awareness program designed specifically for farmers and the agricultural community. It’s a free, four-hour workshop that aims to cover the topics of stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, and how to start a conversation around mental well-being. The workshops are facilitated by CMHA mental health professionals, using real-life examples from agriculture.
Agriculture Wellness Ontario also runs the ‘Farmer Wellness Initiative,’ which is a phone line that connects farmers, farm employees and their families with free, unlimited counselling.
For people in agriculture, Sayles says, having access to agricultural related resources is really important. She believes that the work they’re doing, and the programs that they run, are essential.
“If you ask me what I’m passionate about, it’s agriculture, and for that to keep going and to keep thriving in Ontario and in Canada, a big piece that needs to be addressed is the mental health side of things,” Sayles said. “[Agriculture] comes with a really unique set of stressors, and it can be really difficult sometimes.”
“You could ask a farmer, what stresses him out? And he could go on for eight hours and list 1000 different things,” Sayles said. It could include a compilation of “anything from weather to finance to diseases to government regulations to interpersonal stressors,” Sayles said.
“They’re working with their family, and then they go home at the same place that they worked all day, and they eat dinner with the same people that they might have argued with that same day,” Sayles said.
“Those are all different compounding factors that can amplify some stressors more than you might see in a traditional business,” Sayles said.
Sayles hopes that more people become aware of the resources out there, including those from Agricultural Wellness Ontario.
“I have a really unique position, because I have the knowledge of the agricultural industry, as well as lots of great connections from my previous work, as well as school,” said Sayles. “Having those two pieces and being able to use them to help spread the word about what we’re doing gives me an advantage in that sense.”
Looking ahead, she wants to continue to “help them grow, grow their audience, grow the people who are engaging in our programs, and just grow the number of people that are aware that we exist,” Sayles said. “So that when it comes to farming and agriculture, the biggest barrier isn’t the lack of resources for somebody.”
