Farmers, it is time for your to join us around the Campfire

Designed by farmers for farmers as part of the National Centre for Farmer Health’s Primary Producer Knowledge Network, the innovative online FREE Campfire platform supports farmers to network, find practical solutions, and proactively prevent risks to mental health in their workplaces. Up and running for 3 months now, the Campfire is lit every Wednesday at 7:30pm; with facilitated Bonfire events every alternate Wednesday. Bonfire events are Q&A sessions with guest experts and farmers from across Victoria – working in industries from cattle to cropping to financial planning and beyond. 

Topics for Q&A Bonfire events address key risks to mental health in Victorian agriculture—such as workplace relationships, periods of high demand, role clarity and change management—in practical and relatable ways. As Sally Cunningham—Campfire Project Manager for the National Centre for Farmer Health—explains, “In recent months around the Bonfire, we have yarned about real world farming challenges and solutions on topics like succession planning, farm safety, family business, communication and resilience to environmental extremes.”

Alternate Wednesdays are Campfire nights where farmers engage in more informal text-based chat with other Victorian producers on topics of their choice that can be tailored to their industry. Hugh Macdonald, sheep farmer and regular Campfire contributor, believes “the Campfire project is a brilliant way to engage farmers regarding their mental health”. Preventing risks to mental health, rather than waiting till things reach crisis point, is what Campfire is all about. 

“Not comfortable with online chat?” asks Sally Cunningham, “You can access information on all our topics through complementary podcast episodes, blog posts and other resources addressing various work-related risks to mental health. These incorporate commentary from experts and farmers as well as helpful resources and scenarios we can all learn from.” 

Mike Krause, an expert in farm business decision making, believes “the Campfire Chat format is special, as you can ask difficult questions to people you can trust, while remaining anonymous. It’s simple and easy to participate, and you can be anywhere in Australia.” Andrew Edgar, a family farmer from the Western District can also see the benefits of the platform. As he explains, “The Campfire platform puts everyone on an even plane and allows everyone to have input and ask questions.”

If you are a primary producer who finds your workplace generates undue levels of stress for you, your family or your workers, maybe it’s time you joined the Campfire discussions. You’ll soon be able to identify factors in your work systems that can be changed to create a fairer, happier, and healthier workplace, which ultimately will have positive benefits for your business profitability and your mental health. As a participant, you can propose topics for discussion with experts or other farmers, or just drop a few questions into the fortnightly Q&A. 

“We have some great topics coming up for discussion over the next few months,” explain Sally Cunningham. “These include supporting the next generation of primary producers, seasonal and contract labour, working dogs, bushfire preparedness, strategies for decision making, staying socially connected and managing fatigue. Something to suit every farmer and every farming business.”  

Which one will you join?

More information about the Primary Producer Knowledge Network can be found here: https://farmerhealth.org.au/primary-producer-knowledge-network  

The Campfire digital platform can be accessed here: https://farmerhealth.org.au/campfire 

The Primary Producer Knowledge Network and the Campfire platform is being funded by the Victorian Government’s WorkSafe WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund . WorkWell Toolkit – WorkWell | WorkSafe Victoria
 
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROJECT, PLEASE CONTACT: 

National Centre for Farmer Health:
Sally Cunningham
Phone: 03 5551 8533
Email: sally.cunningham@wdhs.net

Media Contact 
Annabelle Macgugan 
amacgugan@wdhs.net
0458517699 

Is your farm “mentally healthy”? The answer is probably in your workplace design

This topic will be discussed as part of our online bonfire on September 22 at 7:30pm, “Practical Tips to Prevent Stress on the Farm” with Dr Kate Gunn.

The overall mental health of your farm often depends on how the workplace is designed. Sandra and Paul hadn’t required staff on their Gippsland beef farm until recently and realised the hard way that they needed to provide structure and feedback to employees to keep them engaged and motivated.

Ask a farmer what they love about their job and the word “freedom” usually comes up.

For farmers it’s as much about the outdoors as it is avoiding the corporate trappings of seemingly endless meetings, red tape and layers of bureaucracy.

Sandra* runs Angus cattle in Gippsland, Victoria and says she just likes to wake up every day and get on with it.

She and her husband Paul were used to farming by themselves, with help from contractors, as well as their son and daughter.

“But the kids are in their mid 20s now and off studying and working in the city, so we’ve had to take on some employees,” Sandra said.

There are now five people (including Sandra and Paul) working on the farm. And running a team – both in terms of work design, and looking after the workload and mental health of their workers – has been a steep learning curve for them both.

“I didn’t realise how much of the stuff Sandra and I do all the time, lives in our heads. It’s not written down, or on a board. And it takes more time than you think for people to learn the ropes. Plus, we had to learn that how we communicate expectations to our workers matters.” Paul said.

The flip side to the great freedoms of farming, can be a lack of organisational structure. This can lead to employees having a lack of clarity about their role, increased feelings of stress, and conflict. When this is combined with the high job demands of farming, it can ultimately lead to poor mental health outcomes.  (See: Preventing and managing work related stress: a guide for employers).

Sandra and Paul felt frustrated with their new employees at first, who didn’t seem to show enough initiative or understand when there might be an issue with the cows.

“We realise now we expected too much of them too soon and didn’t really know how to provide feedback or positive support,” Sandra said.

The feedback they were getting from their own staff, wasn’t good. Sandra and Paul were told by their employees that the workload was unrealistic. One person even quit, mainly because of the pressure and poor communication about what was needed.

This caused Sandra and Paul to realise their farm was not just ‘theirs’ but a workplace, which needed to be a positive environment for everyone. They accessed Worksafe’s WorkWell tool kit, which helped them implement a good work design, where staff roles were defined, tasks were set out clearly and a regular feedback  system was established.

“There’s so much more to creating job satisfaction and a good workplace, than just telling people ‘Here’s something that needs to be done,’ now go do it,” Paul said.

“I think some farmers worry that if they start implementing too many processes, you’ll end up with a bunch of meetings and pointless tasks. But you really don’t need to change too much and, it has actually lifted our overall productivity as a team.”

Sandra and Paul found their staff became much more engaged and motivated by including the team in the decision making, listening to their ideas and making sure each team member had a variety of tasks.

A mentally healthy workplace requires leaders who:

• demonstrate commitment to mental health in the workplace
• manage workplace relationships respectfully
• treat employees with fairness and respect at all times
• demonstrate a zero-tolerance for bullying and discrimination
• are accessible and willing to listen
• communicate clearly and openly in a timely manner
• provide feedback in a constructive way
• ensure employees have safe workloads
• clarify role expectations and reporting structures
• provide reward and recognition for good work

(From Worksafe’s Mental Health: Safety Basics)

A mentally healthy workplace also requires leaders who are mentally fit themselves.

Dr Kate Gunn is a clinical psychologist who has created a free, online tool, ifarmwell, to help farmers cope with challenging circumstances on the farm.

Kate grew up on a rural property herself, near Streaky Bay, in South Australia and understands how difficult accessing mental health services can be. She says sometimes all a farmer needs are some practical tips on improving their wellbeing.

“A lot of us spend time worrying about things that never actually happen and waste a lot of energy doing that, so what this tool does is help people work out where their mind tends to go… whether or not that’s helpful to focus on and then how to shift their attention away from unhelpful stuff,” Dr Gunn told the Wellington Times.

For farmers, this may mean focusing on things like the weather, drought or commodity prices, rather than channelling that energy into what can be controlled (i.e. planting at a different time of year, finding government grants or looking for new markets).

“Farmers are very good problem solvers who are good at fixing things in their everyday life, but it’s when they feel like they can’t solve an issue that it becomes challenging for them. So, it’s about moving on from what can’t be fixed, and focusing on what can be,” she said

When it comes to running the farm, investing in mental health initiatives is not only good for your family and staff, but it’s good for business too. The NCFH is supporting farmers just like you to manage and respond to work-related risks that impact on workplace mental health – these are factors in your work that can affect an employee’s mental health and include high job demands, low job control, low role clarity and more. Managing these factors, means decreasing the risk of work-related stress, which can prevent physical injury, mental injury or even both at the same time.

Find out more about being mentally safe on the farm at www.farmerhealth.org.au/campfire.

Reach out to a mate this R U Ok? Day

It can be a difficult question, but asking “R U Ok?” can be the first step in helping someone in emotional distress. Today is R U Ok? Day, an opportunity for us to check in with the people in our lives, and to put a spotlight on the conversation around mental health and suicide prevention. 

Now more than ever it is important to check in with our mates and loved ones. In the wake of several lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions and no foreseeable end to the COVID-19 saga, the effects of social isolation are reaching everyone. 

While Australians in rural communities enjoy higher life satisfaction than those in metropolitan areas*, within our communities the people facing mental health challenges can really suffer. Australian suicide rates are 67 per cent higher in rural and regional communities than in capital cities**. While the causes of suicide are complex, in rural areas limited access to mental health services and stigma can be contributing factors.

People who are struggling may feel ashamed of the headspace they are in, and shy away from avenues of support. Taking the first step for them by asking them how they are doing can let them know they are supported, and help them feel safe and seen.

It is important to remember that it is fine to ask “are you ok?” and not know what to say after that. You’re not expected to have all the answers, or to find a solution to the problems they’re facing. Just being there to listen and to help someone feel supported can make a huge difference to their state of mind. If someone is at risk of harming themselves, be prepared to stay with them until you can access crisis support (see links below).

After having a conversation, it may be helpful for you to suggest options for improving mental health. This can be as simple as planning a walk together, suggesting they speak to their GP, or helping them access an online resource to understand and address their situation (there are two free resources available at the end of this blog). It’s also important to follow up on any commitments you make when offering support.

A word from RUOK? Day… 

Life’s ups and downs happen to all of us. Chances are someone you know might be struggling. Your genuine support can make a difference to whatever they are facing, big or small. So, don’t wait until someone’s visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful – ask them how they’re really going and be prepared to listen.

Managing Stress on the Farm

Managing Stress on the Farm is a free downloadable book that aims to help farmers, farming families, and agricultural workers to better understand the stress they may be feeling and take actionable steps to alleviate it. The book can be found here: Managing Stress on the Farm Book | National Centre for Farmer Health

Steering Straight 

Steering Straight aims to help farmers look beyond the endless cycle of tasks and provides guidance on reflection, planning for upcoming challenges, and preparing for action, with a strong focus on wellbeing. Steering Straight will help you to:

• Identify what activities are helpful and keep you feeling positive during tough times
• Achieve future goals, and break them down into manageable steps
• Know who you can call on for support when tackling a goal or a challenge

Steering Straight can be downloaded here: Mental Health 4 Ag | National Centre for Farmer Health

Lines to call if you or your loved one is in crisis:

Emergency: 000 

Lifeline: 13 11 14

MensLine: 1300 78 99 78

Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

Written by the National Centre of Farmer Health for Rural Bank in celebration of RUOK? Day.

References

* https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/book/determinants-health

**https://www.crrmh.com.au/content/uploads/Addendum_Suicide-Prevention-Position-Paper_4-Feb-2021-1.pdf

The next generation of farmers needs your support… for their mental wellbeing.

This topic was discussed as part of our online bonfire on September 8 at 7:30pm, “Supporting the Next Generation of Primary Producers.”

As a child, Sam Marwood dreamed of running his parents’ dairy farm in Central Victoria. But things didn’t turn out the way he planned.

“In grade one I would give up my recess time to draw trucks and tractors, that my mate and I were going to have on our farm”, he told the Beyond the Farmgate podcast.

But one day, as he walked back from the dairy, at the age of 8, he had a conversation with his dad, that has stuck with him for life.

“I looked up and said ‘Dad, when am I going to own the farm?’

“And immediately he laughed at me and said ‘you’re not having the farm… Mum and I are selling. How else are we going to retire and get the money?”

Young Sam threw out those drawings.

“And I knew I would never be a farmer”, he said.

There’s a prevailing notion that to be a farmer you need to have a farm (or at least one waiting for you). And this can put a lot of mental stress and uncertainty on young people wanting to pursue a career in agriculture, especially if succession planning hasn’t been worked out or they know they won’t be inheriting any land.

For young people in general, those early years of study or work can be very stressful. Leaving the known environment of school is often exciting, but it can also be very daunting.

Research from 2019 found mental health concerns among young people are becoming increasingly common, with a 5.5 percent increase over the previous seven years.

And early research on the impact of lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic suggests the problem has worsened for young people, especially in Victoria.

For those carving out a future in agriculture, they might have to deal with the social isolation of working on a farming property, that’s hours away from their friends. It’s therefore especially important for employers to be mindful of creating a positive and respectful workplace culture for them to be a part of.

According to Worksafe’s guide on preventing and managing work related stress, young people regularly experience low job control and low role clarity (even when working on their own family farm), as well as the psychological stress of remote work.

Acknowledging the difficulties, however, shouldn’t take away from the promising opportunities in agriculture. The industry remains strong, with solid export and local markets and there’s been an increase in young people wanting to study agriculture.

Bill Hamill is the Chief Executive of Hamilton’s Rural Industries Skill Training (RIST) which currently has 200 students involved in school-based training right up to university level courses (run in partnership with CQUniveristy).

Bill says RIST was established to combine education, training and research to encourage innovation and attract more young people to the industry.

“Where I see education, where it is going in the future is completely different. If we don’t keep up with how the younger people want to learn, we are going to be left behind,” Bill told the Weekly Times.

From a mental health perspective, formalised training can have many benefits for young people. These include having the confidence to do the job well, receiving up-to-date training, as well as the opportunity to build networks in agriculture with fellow peers and industry leaders.

Also, the reality of learning from your parents, isn’t always rosy. Working relationships with family can mean your Mum or Dad may not always be the best teacher for you. Formal training away from the farm can provide the opportunity to take new skills back to the farm. This includes opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge relating to agricultural production, as well as skills that can contribute to preventing work-related risks to mental health—such as human resource management, decision making and planning.

That’s of course, if you have a farm to go back to.

So, what happened to 8-year-old Sam Marwood?

Well, his parents sold the dairy when he was 17 and Sam went on to work in environmental policy.

For fifteen years, he accepted that he would never be in farming. That was, until he had an idea that’s now breaking down pre-conceptions about farm ownership.

Sam founded Cultivate Farms, a social enterprise which matches the next generation of aspiring farmers with retiring farmers and investors to own and operate a farm together.

“That idea that there are thousands of young people out there who would love to be farmers, but they have this barrier … is what drives me now”, Sam said.

Cultivate Farms has made 17 successful matches in the past three years, helping people who never thought they could own a farm, realise their dream.

“Work on a farm, build your skills, learn how to become the best farmer and while you’re doing that, keep your antenna up to farmers who don’t have kids to hand their farm onto… and also investors,” Sam said.

“So, our pitch to the next generation is that there is hope.”

When it comes to running the farm, investing in mental health initiatives is not only good for your family and staff, but it’s good for business too. The NCFH is supporting farmers just like you to manage and respond to work-related risks that impact on workplace mental health – these are factors in your work that can affect an employee’s mental health and include high job demands, low job control, low role clarity and more. Managing these factors, means decreasing the risk of work-related stress, which can prevent physical injury, mental injury or even both at the same time.

Find out more about being mentally safe on the farm at www.farmerhealth.org.au/campfire.

Farmer Health eNews September 2021

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Announcing the launch of our Farmer Health Assessment Tool (Farmer HAT)!
• Women’s Health. Powerful Stuff. Find out about our digital storytelling program and how it is empowering rural women this Women’s Heath Week.
• Directors Blog: The most important aspect of a healthy farm is still a healthy farming family. Follow the link to read Sue Brumbys reflection on her time as Founding Director for NCFH.
• Wellness Wednesday

View the September 2021 eNews

Read past issues of eNews

Do you want to receive our eNews?

The most important aspect of a healthy farm is still a healthy farming family

It has been 13 years since the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) first opened its doors in 2008. Based in the agricultural hub of Hamilton, Victoria, the NCFH brought together two organisations focussed on service to rural and regional communities –Western District Health Service and Deakin University, with funding from the Victorian Government and the Helen and Geoff Handbury Trust.

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Farm women and men have long been key contributors to our rural and regional communities –their land and livestock producing the food and fibre that sustains and clothes us. Surprisingly, the number of farmers supporting this vision has remained surprisingly few with around 335,000 people directly employed in agriculture, forestry or fishing representing less than 3% of Australia’s workforce.[i] When the NCFH opened we were well into what became known as the millennium drought, with all of regional Victoria and parts of the nation declared in Exceptional Circumstances[ii].

Apart from challenging climatic conditions, agriculture, forestry and fishing had the unenviable record of a high risk workforce with high numbers of workplace deaths, including bystanders and children[iii].  My own personal experience of both working on farm and in rural health had highlighted to me the disparity of rural people (farming and agricultural workers in particular) to have voice in relation to their health, wellbeing and safety. It also became abundantly clear that to make any difference to farmer health, wellbeing and safety we could not rely solely on health services, and health professionals. To make a difference required a multipronged, cross sectoral and policy driven approach.

Over the 13 years the NCFH has helped and worked with many individual farm men, women and agricultural workers. We have provided thousands of health, wellbeing and safety assessments, detected early cancers, cardiac arrhythmias, mental health problems, respiratory illness, kidney disease and diabetes to name a few. We have undertaken significant research on cardiovascular disease, wellbeing, mental health, suicide, hearing loss, obesity and pesticides in farming communities and supported higher degree by research students.  We have published widely[iv] and worked to translate these findings into new and better ways of working with farming communities. For 13 consecutive years we have taught Australia’s only Graduate Certificate in Agricultural Health and Medicine providing well over 200 health professionals with new skills and knowledge to assist with working in agricultural communities[v].  Our partnerships have been extensive collaborating across sectors of industry and agribusiness and across the nation. We have contributed to policy by participating in numerous reviews, parliamentary inquiries, quad bike standards, advertising standards and Royal Commissions.

Have we made a difference?

I believe so. There are many individual stories outlining the difference NCFH has made to individual and families lives.  Stories telling of farm families getting off farm, making healthier food choices, increasing physical activity, improving safety, following up with medical appointments, changing pesticide use, utilising PPE, purchasing safer equipment and reducing their stress.[vi] Past students report improvements in their engagement with farmers and the insights and deeper understanding of health, wellbeing and safety issues that affect farmers. Pleasingly in 2020, a 39% decrease in fatality rates in agriculture, forestry and fishing since the peak in 2007 was reported by Safework.[vii]   However, there is still much to do.

Whilst droughts, bushfire and floods will continue, the COVID-19 pandemic has further reminded us of the importance and vulnerability of our food supplies as never before has the world relied on so few to produce food and fibre for so many. Addressing and adapting to the impacts of environmental change with sustainable agricultural practices and food systems will require new and improved ways of doing things. Good health, wellbeing and safety of farmers and their families are fundamental to having successful and sustainable farm businesses and to build resilience to address the challenges of climatic, environmental and global change.

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[i] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011). Labour Force Survey. Canberra, ABS.

[ii] Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. (2007). The Year in Review 2006-2007. Retrieved December 28, 2010, from http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/drought/ec/nrac/nrac_2006-07_annual_report/the_year_in_review

[iii] Safe Work Australia. (2012). Work-related traumatic injury fatalities, Australia 2010-2011. Canberra: Safe  

   Work Australia.

[iv] https://farmerhealth.org.au/category/publications

[v] https://farmerhealth.org.au/education

[vi] https://farmerhealth.org.au/sustainable-farm-families-3/1618-2

[vii] Safe Work Australia (2020). Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities, Australia 2019, Safe Work Australia

Episode 5: “Strengthening your support team: Rural Financial Counselling Service”

In this episode, Malcolm Rowe from the Rural Financial Counselling Service in Western Victoria, and Peter, a primary producer client of RFCS from the Wimmera district discuss how engaging with an RFCS counsellor can help you to reduce financial stress and be more in control of your farm business through timely, evidence-based decision making.

Now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and here.

This podcast is part of the Primary Producer Knowledge Network led by the National Centre for Farmer Health to promote mentally healthy workplaces. Campfire, part of the Primary Producer Knowledge Network, was funded by the Victorian State Government’s WorkSafe WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund.

Farmers: you can get financial help, before the situation becomes dire

This topic will be discussed as part of our online bonfire on August 25 at 7:30pm, “Strengthening Your Support Team: Rural Financial Counselling Service.”

Fruit growers have been hit by labour shortages under Covid-19 as well as a rise in several input costs. After a stressful and mentally challenging 2020 citrus harvest, Michael listened to the advice of a friend, who convinced him to talk to a rural financial counsellor. Now, the current harvest season is looking very different and their mental health is back on track.

Agriculture is booming in Australia; cattle prices have skyrocketed, the drought has broken and even the price of wool has picked up. But for citrus growers like Michael, who is based near Mildura, the past two years have been incredibly tough.

While the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture has been relatively minimal for other farming industries, fruit growers have been struck with severe labour shortages as well as a rise in the cost of diesel, fertiliser and packing materials.

Michael would normally have a stream of backpackers to pick oranges at harvest time, and despite the Federal Government’s efforts to bring in Pacific Island workers to help, there’s still not enough pickers to go around.

“Last year, we did our best with the staff we had, but we couldn’t get all the fruit off the trees quick enough, which meant oranges was simply left to rot,” Michael said.

“We ended up making a substantial loss. I’ve been growing fruit for 15 years and while I have broken even a few times before, that’s the first time I’ve ever made a loss.  Seeing the piles of wasted fruit, was just heartbreaking. We were anxious for what the next season would bring, and wondering if we would be able to pull through. Managing the farm and dealing with labour shortages, let alone during a pandemic, took a serious toll on our mental health.” he said.

So, at the start of 2021, when it was becoming clear that Covid-19 was not going away, Michael decided he would take action to prevent some of the stress of the previous year.

“My mate, who is also a grower, said he had spoken to a rural financial counsellor, who helped him with forward budgeting,” he said.

“My initial thought was, no, I don’t need that, I’ve been running a successful business for years before COVID, it’s not for me. But I got over my pride and it’s been the best thing I could have done.”

A local counsellor from the Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria helped Michael and his family to plan ahead, factoring in the increase in input costs, as well as the high likelihood of another harvest labour shortage. They also helped him to apply for government grants.

Ultimately this alleviated much of the stress Michael had been feeling about having a lack of control over his business during the pandemic, as well as the uncertainty over how to make organisational changes in the workplace, to deal with yet another difficult season. Worksafe Victoria has identified these as workplace factors which can contribute to poor mental health – and has more information on ways to improve stress in the workplace here.

Michael says speaking with a rural financial counsellor completely changed his mindset.

“Instead of going into harvest and just hoping for the best, I had a plan. Then I could brief the staff about how we were going to tackle this season with fewer people and how I had structured the daily tasks differently to cope.”

Michael said this also helped reduce the stress his staff were feeling, who were concerned about the impact labour shortages would have on their workload.

“We’re in full harvest swing now. And it’s always a busy time…but I have been able to set achievable targets for the staff and the business as a whole, which has actually helped to increase productivity.”

While Michael says this season certainly won’t be his best year, the business will be able to get through this difficult time, with a small profit.

The Rural Financial Counselling Service is a free, independent and confidential service operating across Victoria (with similar services in other states).

“When you call the RFCS, you’ll get a counsellor who lives and works locally and is a specialist in local conditions,” Wayne Stephen, Senior Business Financial Counsellor at the RFCS said.

Wayne Stephen said the aim is to get the farmer to a better place.

“A better place could be a better asset to liability ratio, a better production system, a better succession plan, a better relationship with banks and creditors, a better relationship with family members, and a better relationship with yourself,” he said.

Michael says he is certainly a lot happier, less stressed and feeling optimistic about the future.

“I can’t control what happens with Covid-19, but I now have control over my business again.”

When it comes to running the family farm, investing in ways of working that support goodmental health is not only good for your family and staff, but it’s good for business too.

The NCFH is supporting farmers just like you to manage and respond to work-related risks that impact on workplace mental health – these are factors in your work that can affect an employee’s mental health and include high job demands, low job control, low role clarity and more. Managing these factors, means decreasing the risk of work-related stress, which can prevent physical injury, mental injury or even both at the same time.

Find out more about being mentally safe on the farm at www.farmerhealth.org.au/campfire.

Succession Planning … don’t let it be the elephant in the room

This topic will be discussed as part of our online bonfire on August 11 at 7:30pm, “Planning for Success(ion).”

It isn’t easy, bringing up the topic of succession, but it’s much harder to work on farm when there’s uncertainty about the future. Melissa and Aaron, had left jobs in Melbourne to come back to the family dairy – but not knowing whether they would one day own the farm, was starting to affect their mental health.

As a farmer, have you ever worked out your hourly rate?

Melissa has…. and the numbers didn’t look very good. She did it to prove a point, to her husband Aaron, that despite the long hours worked on his family’s farm – it mightn’t be worth it.

The couple moved back to the farm in Colac in south-west Victoria from Melbourne four years ago. They like the work and love the lifestyle – but there had never been any certainty over who would own the dairy in the future.

Melissa, 29, said this was making her feel very anxious, especially since having her first child a year ago.  She just wanted some certainty about her family’s future. The lack of communication and avoidance in talking about the decisions and changes to the business that had to be made was causing stress and impacting both Melissa and Aaron’s mental health.

“Aaron and I both left good, well-paying jobs in the city. And we came back to the farm, thinking that there would be a succession plan,” she said.

“Because, if at the end of the day, the dairy was just going to be sold off and split between Aaron and his two siblings – then we would have been much better off staying in Melbourne.”

Melissa was beginning to feel resentful about making such a big move, but as the daughter-in-law, felt uncomfortable about raising the issue with Aaron’s mother.  

Aaron’s father had died unexpectedly two years ago, but again, the issue of ownership was never raised.

“Aaron felt like he couldn’t bring it up with his mother, when she was grieving, which I absolutely understand,” Melissa said.

“But Aaron had really stepped up into the leadership role since his Dad died – managing the team of four and lifting our number of cows from 400 to 600,” she said.

But Melissa said this had never really been acknowledged – they were still earning the same wage they had, when they first came back to the farm. She wanted Aaron’s efforts to be recognised; not just financially, but also by family.

Mike Krause, a succession planner with P2P Agri, says the issue of succession can often be the elephant in the room – no one wants to talk about it, but it affects everything.

He says succession planning is really part of risk management.

“If it’s not handled well the risk could be – we don’t have a business next year,” Mike told the Mallee Sustainable Farming Podcast.

“It is tough but the emotional benefits of having that plan succeed at the end of the tunnel is worth the effort of getting in the tunnel and going through the process.”

Melissa convinced Aaron to start the conversation with his mother and they brought in a facilitator to help them work out the succession.

Melissa said it was the best thing they could have done. It gave everyone the opportunity to participate in the change process as well as practical support throughout.

“Aaron’s Mum didn’t really know how we felt. Aaron’s Dad had looked after the farm and the business and so she felt like she didn’t have all the answers. Bringing in an expert helped to clarify the process for everyone involved, and helped to preserve family relationships”

Succession planner, Isobel Knight says you don’t need to have all the answers to be able to start the process.

“The starting point is where you are today,” she said in the Mentor of the Month podcast by the Future Farmers Network.

“Sometimes people are scared that someone is going to tell them what to do,” she said.

“When really what we’re doing is enabling communication effectively so that families don’t blow themselves up in the first instance, so they can have those difficult conversations.”

For Melissa and Aaron, they now have a management plan as well as a gradual ownership plan, which incorporates financially supporting their mother as well as a Will that leaves an equitable share of the family’s other assets to Aaron’s two siblings (who aren’t interested in working on the farm).

Melissa is feeling much happier and less stressed and anxious about their future, now that she knows what they are working for.

“I’m relieved we have a plan and that everyone in the family is supportive. Having clarity about our respective roles in the day-to-day operations as well as the ‘big picture’ of the family business has given as a fresh perspective. It’s also had such a positive flow-on effect. We’re now a lot more comfortable in having some of these challenging conversations. It’s become part of our routine to meet regularly as a team. We’ve set some new strategies in place for continuing farm business planning and we’ve also set up structures to support our whole team—including our relief milkers. As a family, I feel like we can start making longer-term decisions and planning for our future now, which I’m pleased to say is here, on the farm.”

Worksafe has information on how poor organisational change management and low role clarity can lead to mental health problems and workplace stress. It advises that communication and seeking all parties’ participation in the change process can help ease feelings around a lack of control. When it comes to running the family farm, investing in mental health initiatives is not only good for your family and staff, but it’s good for business too. The NCFH is supporting farmers just like you to manage and respond to work-related risks that impact on workplace mental health – these are factors in your work that can affect an employee’s mental health and include high job demands, low job control, low role clarity and more. Managing these factors, means decreasing the risk of work-related stress, which can prevent physical injury, mental injury or even both at the same time.

Find out more about being mentally safe on the farm at www.farmerhealth.org.au/campfire.

Farmer Health eNews August 2021

Find out the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health

• Steering Straight: My plan to keep on track. Download your plan to help you stay on track during challenging or stressful times.
• Do you spray chemicals from your quadbike? Weigh in on the associated safety issues in our QuadSIS survey.
• How will the findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System impact farming communities? 
• Wellness Wednesday

View the August 2021 eNews

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Self-management of diabetes and associated comorbidities in rural and remote communities: a scoping review

Abstract

Chronic health conditions are more prevalent in rural and remote areas than in metropolitan areas; living in rural and remote areas may present particular barriers to the self-management of chronic conditions like diabetes and comorbidities. The aims of this review were to: (1) synthesise evidence examining the self-management of diabetes and comorbidities among adults living in rural and remote communities; and (2) describe barriers and enablers underpinning self-management reported in studies that met our inclusion criteria. A systematic search of English language papers was undertaken in PsycINFO, Medline Complete, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, searching for literature indexed from the beginning of the database until 6 March 2020. Essential key concepts were diabetes, comorbidities, self-management and rural or remote. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Six of these reported interventions to promote self-management for adults with diabetes in rural and remote communities and described comorbidities. These interventions had mixed results; only three demonstrated improvements in clinical outcomes or health behaviours. All three of these interventions specifically targeted adults living with diabetes and comorbidities in rural and remote areas; two used the same telehealth approach. Barriers to self-management included costs, transport problems and limited health service access. Interventions should take account of the specific challenges of managing both diabetes and comorbidities; telehealth may address some of the barriers associated with living in rural and remote areas.

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