The late Mark Atkinson.
Farmers Forum staff
WARKWORTH — An Ontario dairy farmer lost his life in a Thanksgiving Day accident on his family’s Warkworth-area farm.
Mark Atkinson, 41, the father of two young boys, died on Monday, Oct. 13, while out in the field planting wheat, Northumberland County Federation of Agriculture President Allan Carruthers told Farmers Forum.
“It made my stomach sick when I got word of it,” said Carruthers, who knew the deceased as a member of the local federation.
“He’s got a couple of small kids. He was a very hard worker,” he said, and came from “a well respected family in the community.”
His father was the late Sid Atkinson, a longtime Dairy Farmers of Ontario director who died suddenly at age 65 in 2023.
Carruthers observed that “every day is a risk for a lot of farmers, especially when we’re under the planting and harvesting crunch. You try to be aware of your surroundings, whether it be just yourself or working with somebody else.” He added it was “very disheartening” to see another farm fatality.
At the funeral cousin Gary Atkinson recalled that he highly respected Mark and they spoke by phone five or six times a week. Gary said when he asked Mark how he was doing, he would always reply, “I’m living the dream.”
With the latest tragedy, the province has recorded 9 on-farm fatalities due to farm accidents this year.
An online fundraiser for the farmer’s sons, Joel, 8, and Eli, 5, and their mother, Jessie, raised almost $15,000 toward a $16,000 goal by Oct. 29.
“Mark was a devoted dad who shared his time equally with his boys,” says the GoFundMe page set up by two of Jessie’s sisters-in-law. “He was a hard worker; passionate about agriculture, and a dedicated volunteer. His sudden passing has left a deep void in the lives of those who loved him most.”
“Mark’s love for Joel and Eli was endless, and we know he would want nothing more than to see them cared for, supported, and surrounded by love.”
Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke reported that officers responded to the scene on County Rd. 35 at about 2:25 p.m. “The matter has been referred to the Ministry of Labour,” Clarke said.
