Farmer Health eNews February 2026

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Building on the success of Look Over the Farm Gate
• Back on Track gets back to Vic communities
• Help shape a farmer-fit suicide prevention app
• Upcoming events

View the February 2026 e-newsletter

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Farmer Health eNews January 2026

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Make a real difference in rural communities: Study ag health and medicine
• Look Over the Farm Gate events set to continue
• Take a break: Explore our website
• Practical support is just a click away

View the January 2026 e-newsletter

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Farmer Health eNews December 2025

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Using evidence to influence action on farmer health: Our stories
• Calm the Farm workshops: Supporting mental health in agriculture
• Keeping kids safe this summer: Lessons from around the world
• Raising children in rural and regional Australia

View the December 2025 e-newsletter

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Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

At the NCFH, we use research to make a real difference to farmers’ lives. But how do we do this?

The answer is multi-faceted:

• We use research to inform our programs and services to farmers, ensuring they remain relevant, practical and accessible
• We reference strong data when influencing change which affects farming communities
• We conduct our own studies on the risks and opportunities to strengthen the health, wellbeing and safety of farmers, agricultural workers and farming families 
• We collaborate with local and international organisations to share knowledge and maximise the impact of our research.

Find out more about why an evidence-based approach is so important in this video with NCFH Senior Lecturer and Researcher Dr Jacquie Cotton, and what makes her proud of the work being delivered to Aussie farmers.

If you’ve come across our Managing Stress on the Farm booklet, you might be surprised to know that this popular resource came about from our research into mental health in farming communities.  

This is just one of many examples where our team has transformed solid evidence into something practical and valuable for Aussie farmers and regional communities.  

Hear more from NCFH Senior Lecturer and Researcher Dr Jacquie Cotton, including how our research has had a global impact and how you can get involved in the next exciting project. 

More information

See the other articles in our series

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The Back on Track mental health initiative is unique as it is a peer-guided program delivered by trusted community members – also known as coaches – who understand the unique challenges associated with farming and can provide practical and tailored support to farmers to improve their mental health.

Find out how two coaches became involved in the Back on Track feasibility trial in Victoria in 2025.

Why did you decide to get involved in the Back on Track program as a coach?

Growing up on a farm and having friends from farming backgrounds across different parts of the state, country, and world, I was aware of the challenges that farmers and their regional and rural communities face. For me personally, it was an opportunity to try something new and, in a small way, make a difference to the mental health struggles confronting our farmers and rural communities. 

From your perspective, how is the Back on Track program supporting participating farmers?

The Back on Track program provides a clear, practical, and straightforward initiative designed specifically for farmers and farming communities. The program values participants’ time and is centred around the needs and expectations of farmers, who may not have time to leave their farms to seek help for declining mental health or low mood.   

What is a personal highlight of delivering this program to farmers?  

A real highlight of my work with the Back on Track program was meeting the other coaches and collaborating during supervision, sharing the challenges and successes faced by them and their participants. It was fantastic to see that participants were gaining just as much from the program as we were. 

Why did you decide to get involved in the Back on Track program as a coach?

My son informed me of the coaching position, as a perfect step into going into my own business in counselling. I will be specialising in grief and trauma, knowing over my life span, that life can throw many huge curve balls to cope with. 

From your perspective, how is the Back on Track program supporting participating farmers?

I found the Back on Track team great, but the resilience of the farmers in drought is one that I will remember as I go into my counselling. There was an opening of the mind that even when times are tough – as all farmers have experienced – there is always a time to stop and smell the roses, for that is what we are all here for. 

The first farmer I worked with did experience this in actually stopping to see and smell and feel his coffee that he missed knowing – and truly savouring every part that it brings to him – first thing in the morning.  

What is a personal highlight of delivering this program to farmers?  

Seeing a farmer, who under unbelievable stress, finally got the meaning of the coaching relating to their life. I saw the tremendous change on their face and the appreciation of the relationship to them that a coach can bring them.   

It reinforced the insight that I already knew about this specialised group of people – that the tenacity and strength that farmers hold to continue on in this field is one to be admired and treasured into the future. 

Our Back on Track coaches share their journey, insights and how they’ve supported Victorian farmers to get back on track with their mental health

More information

See the other articles in our series

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

What led to the development of Back on Track?

Research shows farmers die by suicide at up to twice the rate of the general Australian population, yet do not have higher rates of diagnosed mental illness.

Farmers are geographically isolated while managing a myriad of stressors, many uncontrollable. They are less likely to seek professional mental health services, have less access and often report feeling misunderstood when they do reach out.

Integrating lived experience into mental health provision in farming communities has been identified as one way of addressing these challenges.

Following five years of co-design – drawing strongly on the lived experience of farming community members and service providers – the NCFH is leading the Back on Track feasibility research trial. Funded by the Gardiner Foundation, Back on Track is being trialled across three Victorian farming communities.

How is the Back on Track model underpinned by research and what impact does this have on the delivery of the program to farmers? 

Back on Track explores the effectiveness of a new mental health support model that includes training and mentoring trusted local farming community members as Back on Track coaches to lead delivery of a practical, farmer-focused approach to address low mood or depression. Coaches are trained in Behavioural Activation (BA); a proven safe and effective treatment for depression focused on improving mood by increasing behaviours that people enjoy and reducing avoidance behaviours.

Unlike other psychological therapies, evidence shows that non-clinicians without specialist health qualifications can learn to deliver BA with appropriate training. With shared understanding of farming life and work, the integration of trusted and trained local peers delivering the Back on Track program has the potential to overcome many well-established barriers to mental health help-seeking and support in farming communities.

This new model underpinned by a strong training, governance and support framework will be supported by an experienced team of researchers and clinicians from Deakin University, Western District Health Service, La Trobe University, the University of South Australia and Edith Cowan University. 

What feedback have you received from farmers who have participated in Back on Track?    

Feedback from farmers who participated in the NCFH  Back on Track program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Participants highlighted the program’s unique approach – delivered by coaches with both lived farming experience and mental health training – as particularly valuable. This combination made the sessions feel relevant, relatable and grounded in real-life understanding of farming challenges. 

Over the 10-week coaching period, many farmers reported:

• Significant improvements in their mood
• Reductions in symptoms of depression
• Practical skills to support ongoing behavioural changes beyond the program.

Encouragingly, several participants continue to apply these learnings months after completing Back on Track, reflecting its lasting impact within farming communities. 

What do you enjoy about delivering this program to farmers?

Coordinating the Back on Track program and working alongside the coaches was an incredibly rewarding experience. It was inspiring to see how their genuine connection to farming life and their compassion for peers translated into meaningful support for participants.

Watching the coaches grow in confidence and skill throughout the program, while seeing farmers respond so positively, was a highlight of this project. 

More information

See the other articles in our series

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Education is a key focus for the NCFH and we recognise the importance of putting theory into practice. 

That’s why we regularly offer students the opportunity to work with our team for a placement, research or clinical training.

Jennifer Rowan is a fourth-year social work student at Deakin University who recently completed a student placement at the NCFH, where she wrote a literature review on the Tackling the Tough Topics guide. 

Throughout her placement, Jen worked closely with our team in Hamilton and she shares some of the highlights from her time with us and next steps in her career in the short video below. 

Q&A: Masters of Social Work student placement

In the following testimonial, a Wimmera-based Deakin University Master of Social Work student reflects on her final Professional Practice Placement at the NCFH.

This placement was the second of two 500-hour, 65-day placements I completed as part of my degree. With a background in rural secondary school teaching, I came to social work wanting to acquire the knowledge and skills I needed to help address human rights and social justice issues in rural communities. My focus was on doing this in a rural mental health context.

Why did you choose the NCFH for your student placement?

The reason I chose the NCFH for my placement was that I wanted to learn how to become a researcher. I wanted to learn how to conduct research that can be put into action and help rural communities. The NCFH has an excellent reputation in this regard, so I knew this was the right place for me. The staff and researchers were amazing in sharing their knowledge, ideas and perspectives as I carried out my research project (a systematic review of literature) in what was a truly dynamic, welcoming working environment.

What was a highlight of your time with the NCFH?

Apart from my visits to the NCFH in Hamilton, the highlight of my placement was seeing how the NCFH’s research was put into action. The range of evidence-based programs the NCFH have developed and rolled out to help rural communities is amazing, and there is always more to do in this space.

What are the next steps for your career?

Based on my experiences at the NCFH, when I finish my placement, I am looking to further my career as a researcher. The ability to apply a social work lens to research problems is something I greatly enjoy, and I hope to be able to contribute to improving the lives of rural communities by doing this in future.

More information

See the other articles in our series

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

Farmer Health eNews November 2025

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Real stories of how we’re using evidence to influence action on farmer health
• Make your mark to improve health in ag communities
• Bringing health and lifestyle assessments to your community in 2026
• Share your insights to make AgriSafe 2.0 the best it can be

View the November 2025 e-newsletter

Read past issues of eNews

Do you want to receive our eNews?

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

In 2025, the Look Over the Farm Gate program helped communities come together and support farming families under stress in drought-impacted regions of Victoria.

We share how event organisers used the Tackling the Tough Topics guidelines to plan, deliver and review the success of their event.

This event screened the film, Just a Farmer, with guest speaker Warren Davies (The Unbreakable Farmer, pictured above). Our aim was to bring the community together to raise awareness and start a conversation about supporting the positive mental health of our farming community. 

We had 187 attendees including farmers, their families and people representing stock agents, health providers, a dairy manufacturing company, rural support services and the general public also attending. Hundreds took the opportunity to meet up and socialise before and after the film – a great chance to bolster community resilience and share experiences.  

How did you use Tackling the Tough Topics to plan and develop your event?  

In the planning phase for this event there was lots of community interest and funding/support from several organisations. We already had skills in running community events, but Tackling the Tough Topics gave us an ability to work together effectively and remain very focused on our objectives. 

The guidelines gave us courage and confidence to talk about mental health concerns in our farming community, knowing that we had covered our bases and doing the event in a safe and respectful way. It meant we paid attention to details that might have otherwise been overlooked. The templates and checklists were great.

What feedback did you receive from attendees?  

This event really brought the community together to have new conversations in a positive way. People identified strongly with the issues raised in the film and with Warren Davies as a speaker with his own lived experience as a farmer with struggles who had found a way forward.

“It was a fantastic, community focused evening, thank you to everyone who helped to pull it together! Such generosity in our community. The lovingly homemade supper food was lovely, great idea to be able to mingle, snack and chat. Warren’s presentation was a great touch and the support materials provided are fantastic. And the film Just a Farmer…is a well-made film with strong positive messages.”

We are planning to run similar events around farmer mental health and wellbeing and how we can support each other in the months ahead. We started some important conversations, and we want to build on this momentum by maybe having a panel discussion with local farmers about how they have negotiated tough seasons/issues in farming.  

Our Look Over the Farm Gate event at Boorhaman Golf Club was designed to bring the farming community together for a night that combined fun, connection, and meaningful conversation. We know how isolating rural life can be, especially for farmers, so we wanted to create an event that felt light-hearted and welcoming – but still gave space to talk about the serious stuff. 

We started the evening with night golf, which was a great way to get people out of the house and onto the course in a relaxed setting. It helped break the ice and gave everyone a chance to enjoy themselves before we moved into the more formal part of the evening. After the golf, we shared a sit-down dinner and heard from Brett from Project 365 in Wangaratta (pictured above). Brett spoke openly about mental health challenges faced by farmers in Western Australia, including members of his own family. His story really resonated with the crowd and helped frame the night with honesty and purpose. 

How did you use Tackling the Tough Topics to plan and develop your event?

The Tackling the Tough Topics guidelines were a great help in shaping the event. They gave us a clear framework to work from, helping us: 

• Focus on the issues most relevant to our community, like financial stress, isolation and mental health. 
• Make sure we had appropriate support materials and contacts available. 
• Prepare our volunteers and committee members to respond appropriately if someone needed help. 

We placed the handouts provided on each dinner table, and also set up an exhibition table where attendees could freely take information. We were mindful that mental health can be a difficult topic to disclose, so we wanted to make sure people could access resources privately and without pressure. 

Having the guidelines available gave us confidence that we were approaching things the right way. It helped us move beyond just hosting a social night – we were able to create something that had real meaning and impact.

The guidelines also helped us be more intentional in how we framed the evening, how we supported attendees, and how we followed up afterwards.

What feedback did you receive from attendees?

The feedback was really positive. People appreciated the chance to come together in a relaxed setting and talk about things that are often kept quiet. Brett’s talk was a standout – many attendees said they saw reflections of their own experiences in his stories, and that it helped them feel seen and understood. 

We also had people ask if we’d consider running more events like this, and a few offered to help out next time. It was clear that the night made a real impact. 

We’re now looking at ways to build on the momentum from this event. There’s a strong appetite in our community for more opportunities to connect and support one another, and we’re exploring ideas for future events that combine sport, social connection, and mental health awareness – all with that Boorhaman spirit.

More information

The Look Over the Farm Gate community grants program was funded by Agriculture Victoria under the Victorian Government’s 2025 Drought Support Package.

See the other articles in our series

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

Tackling the Tough Topics: Q&A with NCFH’s Sally Cunningham

How did Tackling the Tough Topics come about?

In 2023, NCFH supported rural community group leaders to run 60 events on protecting mental health in their farming communities following floods and a very challenging season. In every case, there was strong motivation and good intention to improve mental health from within these farming communities.

Leaders really understand the dynamics of their farming community and their particular needs during recovery. However, they are often unsure how to tackle topics around mental health and wellbeing, so they were grateful for some assistance from NCFH to shape their events for maximum effectiveness. 

Tackling the Tough Topics was developed in 2024 through a co-design process with rural mental health specialists, community development and shire disaster recovery staff. It aims to build awareness, knowledge and capability to ensure that when farming communities come together with the purpose of supporting and improving mental health, they are empowered to do so in a way that is well-planned, safe and effective. 

How was research used to inform the content in the guidelines and what effect did this have on the final product?  

NCFH and the rural mental health professionals who collaborated to produce the guidelines ensured that the language and form of the document was very accessible to Australian famers and their communities. We were not writing it for health professionals who understand jargon – it had to be readable, engaging and practical. 

As a result, the guidelines include:

• A clear structure based on 14 key questions to guide event planning  
• Practical templates to ensure the event runs smoothly and achieves its objectives  
• Case studies from rural events and top tips that provide valuable insights  
• Guidance on selecting and preparing guest speakers, ensuring they are well-briefed about the farming community’s unique needs and challenges.  

What feedback have you received from those who have used the guidelines to plan and deliver an event in farming communities with a mental health focus?  

Since its release in February 2025, Tackling the Tough Topics has been accessed by more than 300 event organisers. Those who have used the guidelines tell us:

• They increased their understanding, knowledge and confidence in running community events around farmer mental health
• The handbook was rated highly in terms of applicability, clarity, comprehensiveness, practicality, and achievability of recommendations
• The most useful features included case studies, guidelines for guest speakers and event planning templates. 

In July 2025, the guidelines were embedded in the application process for the Look Over the Farm Gate community grants program which funds events to support farming communities impacted by drought and bushfires. Over 80% of applicants reported that Tackling the Tough Topics was very useful in their event planning. 

Feedback from Look Over the Farm Gate events enabled us to review and improve the content in Tackling the Tough Topics in early 2026. This includes a greater range of case studies and top tips that will improve its appeal and usefulness to a wider demographic in the farming community.  Event organisers also sought guidance on how to draw out local wisdom from their own communities about overcoming some of the challenges they have faced as farmers. This led to the inclusion of a new resource of questions to use in a panel discussion about farmer’s own wellbeing, problem solving and help seeking strategies. We hope that this approach will help to normalise these discussions in many more farming communities. 

What has been your highlight of delivering Tackling the Tough Topics?  

Well-run events start important conversations in farming communities where discussing personal wellbeing or mental health was once associated with stigma and shame. 

It has been gratifying to see the guidelines used successfully to tackle this challenge, and see the diversity and creativity of events designed to promote social connection and protective mental health behaviours in farming communities as part of the Look Over the Farm Gate program.

After decades of technical advisory work, I enjoy working with farmers to bring about positive change for their enterprise, community and the environment.

More information

See the other articles in our series

A look back on Look Over the Farm Gate events

Jennifer Rowan reflects on her NCFH student placement

Back on Track: Q&A with NCFH’s Anna Greene

Meet some of our Back on Track coaches

The impact of our Health and Lifestyle Assessments

Transforming research into practical support for farmers: Hear from NCFH’s Dr Jacquie Cotton

Farmers’ insights crucial to guide revamped health check program

The National Centre for Farmer Health is on the lookout for farmers, rural health professionals and agriculture industry members from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to help drive an exciting update of the AgriSafe program which provides comprehensive health and wellbeing checkups for farmers. 

Expressions of interest to join a Steering Committee are open until 31 October. The existing AgriSafe program offers 90-minute, one-on-one farmer health checkups which identify occupational hazards and exposures unique to farming and provide personalised education on ways to stay safe on the farm and improve everyday lifestyle behaviours. 

The new AgriSafe 2.0 project will run for five years and is led by the National Centre for Farmer Health in collaboration with research and health service partners, with funding from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.  

“The redesign of AgriSafe will fill a crucial gap in bringing tailored support on farmer health, wellbeing and safety to rural areas where there are high rates of chronic illness and injuries among the farming population and limited access to health services,” National Centre for Farmer Health Director, Associate Professor Alison Kennedy said.  

“Farmers work hard every day – but a healthy farmer can keep on farming. AgriSafe 2.0 will make it easier for farmers to get on the front foot with their health, identify and manage any issues such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and act on farming-specific risks such as exposure to dust and agrichemicals. Ultimately, this means a healthier farmer and a healthier farming business in the long run.”   

The first stage of the project will involve a full review of the current AgriSafe model, including interviews with farmers, health professionals and members of the agricultural industry. Insights from this stage will inform the design of a revised health, wellbeing and safety program that is relevant, engaging and accessible to farmers across Australia. 

The Steering Committee will meet quarterly via video conference and will play a key role in guiding the entire project from late 2025 to June 2029. A sitting fee is also available to members. 

“The Steering Committee has a unique opportunity to guide the development and delivery of the new AgriSafe 2.0 program. We’re keen to hear from farmers about their lived experience, as well as rural health professionals and members of the agriculture industry. Their feedback will ensure AgriSafe 2.0 continues to make a real difference to farmers and their local communities and help us understand what’s needed to roll out and support the program in the long term,” Alison said.  

The existing AgriSafe checkups are currently delivered in western Victoria, and the redesigned program will be trialled initially in Victoria, with plans to expand to New South Wales and Queensland in the third year of the program.  

For more information, visit: https://farmerhealth.org.au/agrisafe-clinics 

AgriSafe 2.0 is delivered in partnership with Deakin University, Western District Health Service, the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health (ARRCH), the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, Darling Downs Health Service, West Moreton Health Service and Central Queensland University.

* END OF RELEASE*

For more information, please contact:

Alison Kennedy – Director, National Centre for Farmer Health 
P: 03 5551 8533 | M: 0407 549 970 | E: alison.kennedy@wdhs.net

Farmer Health eNews October 2025

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Behind the scenes at NCFH
• Scholarships open to study ag health and medicine
• Help guide the new development of AgriSafe
• Upcoming events: Farm safe and strong; Elmore Field Days

View the October 2025 e-newsletter

Read past issues of eNews

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