Farmer Health e-News – December 2015
Wow – what a year! Enrol Now in HMF701. And the Winners are…!! SFF™ Train the Trainer recap.
Please note: our mail-out listed the start date of HMF701 as 26th February 2016. This was an error – the correct start date is 22nd February 2016. Apologies for any inconvenience or confusion.
Download the PDF version here : December 2015
2015-11-28: ‘Project targets stigma of farmers’ higher suicide risk’ & ‘Men’s show of strength’ : Geelong Advertiser
20151128-GeelongAdvertiser-GentsLunch (PDF)
Project targets stigma of farmers’ higher suicide risk.
by Margaret Linley
THE Ripple Effect project is geared towards changing the way farmers think about mental health, according to National Centre for Farmer Health director Sue Brumby, pictured left.
“People who have had an experience of suicide — they may have been bereaved or cared for someone — have a higher risk of suicide them- selves,’’ Ms Brumby said. “But there is a stigma around that and people don’t talk about it and so the ripples are very negative.”
The Ripple Effect aims to change the effect to a positive by telling people’s stories.
Farmers provide messages of what has helped them, what they have learned or what actions they can take to improve their own health and wellbeing.
The postcards are anony- mous and postage is prepaid.
They will be featured on the Ripple Effect website from April or May next year. Farmers, as an occupational group, have a suicide rate twice the general population, according to the Centre.
Ms Brumby said some of the factors contributing to the suicide rate include isolation, compounded often by slow internet connections; the workplace and the home being the one and same; and the relentless 24/7 nature of farming.
To request a postcard go to therippleeffect.com.au or phone the National Centre for Farmer Health on (03) 5551 8533.
Men’s show of strength
by Margaret Linley
MEN walked away from their tractors and desks yesterday in a show of support for men’s mental health.
More than 170 members of the Gentlemen of Geelong gathered for the group’s annual event at Flying Brick Cider House in Wallington for lunch and a chance to talk.
And, while the event might appear to be just “a day on the turps”, organisers said it was so much more with funds raised going to the National Centre for Farmer Health, Headspace Geelong, Lifeline and Movember.
…Read the rest of the article in PDF: 20151128-GeelongAdvertiser-GentsLunch (PDF)
2015-11-24: ‘Look after your mates, farm leaders say’ – The Weekly Times
THE moment the headers stop and the harvest is over is when the full impact of drought will really hit home, warns Victorian Farmers Federation vice-president David Jochinke.
“That’s when we’ve got to face the reality of what the next year brings,” the Murra Wurra farmer said.
“Especially coming up to Christmas, when you’re looking at another tough 12 months that you’ve got to carry yourself through. It’s probably the most critical period and we have to make sure we get our arms around our farming community.
“We need to talk about our issues and if we feel that someone needs help, we can prompt them to seek it out.”
That is why Mr Jochinke was pleased to see the Victorian Government commit to funding the Look Over Your Farm Gate program, as part of a new $1.5 million drought extension program announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in Birchip on Sunday.
The program is a joint venture between the VFF, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Country Women’s Association, Country Fire Authority and National Centre for Farmer Health.
The organisations will work together on a series of workshops on mental and physical health and domestic violence issues in the farming and rural sector.
VFF president Peter Tuohey said it was critical farmers looked after other farmers. “I’ve had calls from farmers saying they’re a bit concerned about their neighbours and I can understand that,” Mr Tuohey said.
Mr Jochinke said all farmers were likely to experience difficult times.
“I’ve had my moments — we’ve had some tough times,” he said.
“No one is bulletproof.”
“I’ve got friends that were touched by the whole Lockhart disaster (when a NSW farmer took his own life and that of his family in September last year) and you just don’t want to have any tragedies in your community.
“There’s no harm in asking someone ‘Are you OK?’. It doesn’t cost a thing.”
To read the article: 2015-11-24: ‘Look after your mates, farm leaders say’ – The Weekly Times
Ripple Effect Postcards to give insight into rural suicide
Ripple Effect Postcards to give insight into rural suicide
Tuesday 24 November, 2015
The Ripple Effect, a collaborative digital project spearheaded by farmers, health professionals and advocacy groups is inviting farmers to share their personal stories of suicide through a unique postcard initiative.
Farmers are being invited to provide input about their personal experiences of suicide in the Ripple Effect—a project where farmers are helping farmers beat rural suicide.
Victorian Farmer Nick Shady knows all too well the need for a new approach to dealing with the Ripple Effect of mental illness in rural communities.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about how rural men don’t open up and can’t open up and don’t see a forum where they can. That’s the hard part; how do we reach people who feel like that, before it’s too late,” Nick said.
Nick is now a member of the Ripple Effect Steering Group, a project he feels passionate about.
“We believe that by involving farming communities we can help turn the negative ripple of suicide into a positive ripple of support. To get this ripple started, we are calling on farmers to tell their story as a way to help others in similar circumstances.”
Katrina Myers, from Barham in New South Wales shares this sentiment.
“I’ve seen so many examples of where people who have personal lived experiences can make a really big difference and so I feel like there is that opportunity to do that.
“We are asking people from the rural farming community to share one thing about their experience of suicide that might be helpful to other people in the same boat. All they need to do is fill in and return a Ripple Effect postcard.
What would you want to tell someone who might be going through a tough time? What advice would you give them? It’s about helping each other turn the tide and learning from other people in the farming community.
The postcards are anonymous and postage paid. It’s a simple process, but one that can potentially make a real difference to someone’s life.
The messages from the postcards will be collected and shared as part of the Ripple Effect website.
People will be able to share their stories of what has helped them, learn from others and take action to make positive changes to their own health and wellbeing.
Alison Fairleigh from the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland—a Ripple Effect partner organisation—explained one of the ideas behind the postcards.
“We understand that rural communities experience severe disadvantage when it comes to internet speed and connectivity, so we want to provide an opportunity for people to contribute to a positive ripple of support both on and offline.”
“The Ripple Effect is about farmers helping farmers. We know through our own experience, that no one tells a story about life on the land, its ups and its downs better than farmers themselves. We also know that people in farming communities are renowned for helping each other—that’s what keeps small communities alive. The Ripple Effect postcards combine the strength of storytelling with rural people’s natural enthusiasm for supporting each other,” Ms Fairleigh said.
The Ripple Effect is a partnership between, National Centre for Farmer Health, Deakin University, Sandpit, Victorian Farmers Federation, AgChatOz, Mental Health Fellowship North Queensland and Western District Health Service.
The Ripple Effect is funded by beyondblue through donations from the Movember foundation.
To request a postcard, find out more information about the Ripple Effect postcards or add your name to our contact list, please visit http://www.therippleeffect.com.au or phone the National Centre for Farmer Health on (03) 5551 8533.
If you are feeling distressed, we urge you to call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 for counselling support.
2015-11-19: Recognising and responding to stress in challenging times: Graincorp Newsletter
Farmer Health e-News – November 2015
People’s Choice Voting Open; SFF Trainers Wanted; Start a Ripple of Support; Responding to Stress – read all this and more in this month’s newsletter.
Download the PDF version here : November 2015
2015-11-17: ‘Farmer health the focus of course’: Victorian Government Health Information
Farmer health the focus of course
The National Centre for Farmer Health, through Deakin University, is offering a five-day unit aimed at making a difference to the health, wellbeing and safety of farmers, farming families and agricultural workers.
The agricultural health and medicine unit targets health, education, agricultural professionals and policy makers whose practice and/or policy decisions relate to farming communities and agricultural workforces.
Its goal is to improve the social, physical and mental health of agricultural and rural communities in Victoria and ensure initiatives aimed at this population are effective.
Agricultural workforces in Australia and abroad experience high work-related mortality and tolerate high rates of physical and mental ill-health, which are compounded by limited access and lower levels of health literacy.
This results in above average rates of premature morbidity and mortality through heart disease, cancer and suicide.
The agricultural health and medicine unit will be taught over five days at Western District Health Service in Hamilton between February 22 and 26.
The course is also a core unit of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine (GCAHM).
• For more information visit https://farmerhealth.org.au/page/education/what-is-gcahm or visit Deakin, School of Medicine athttp://www.deakin.edu.au/medicine/study-options/graduate-certificate-of-agricultural-health-and-medicine.
To view the article: http://health.vic.gov.au/healthvictoria/nov15/farmers.htm
2015-11-15: Drought Support For Farmers And Their Families: Media Release from Premier of Victoria The Hon. Daniel Andrews MP
The Andrews Labor Government is supporting farmers who are facing the worst of the difficult dry seasonal conditions.
Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford, and Minister for Water Lisa Neville, tonight announced a new package of support measures for farmers at a community BBQ in Birchip.
The measures will ensure farmers and their families experiencing emotional and financial stress get the support they need to help them get through these challenging times.
Farms are often a family business and research shows that when faced with drought the health and wellbeing of the family can be significantly impacted.
The new support measures announced include:
- $220,000 to deliver Mental Health First Aid training across the ten identified drought affected local council areas and implement local community engagement and support measures
- $270,000 for additional Rural Financial Counsellors
- $300,000 from the State Schools Relief program to provide families in drought affected communities with uniforms, shoes and other school items.
- $960,000 to support kindergarten participation in drought affected communities
- $1 million to employ drought affected farmers and farm workers on environmental projects
- $1.5 million for a Drought Extension Program to help farmers make necessary on-farm decisions such as de-stocking, animal health and welfare, feed budgeting, land management, irrigation and water use efficiency
- $5.8 million from the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund to ensure kids in drought affected regions don’t miss out on these important educational experiences
The National Centre for Farmer Health, which received $4 million from the Labor Government in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget, will use this funding to target drought affected areas with a series of activities, workshops and events to support rural families and communities.
The new Drought Extension Program will also fund the Victorian Farmers Federation’s Look Over Your Farm Gate campaign which encourages locals to get together and provide support to each other.
Other opportunities and events for the community to come together will also be sought, for example working with Catchment Management Authorities and Fisheries Victoria to deliver family fishing days.
More information about the new support measures are available at https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/drought-support or via the Drought Information Line at 136 186.
To read the full release: http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/drought-support-for-farmers-and-their-families/
2015-10-29: ‘Out of the darkness’ – The Courier
2015 October – ‘Farmers will fight to stop ripple effect of suicide’ – Dairy News Australia
Farmer Health e-News – October 2015
Find out what has kept us busy this month at NCFH!
2015-10-20: ‘How to survive the good, bad and ugly realities of farming: escape’ – ABC Rural
It was The Colosseum, in Rome, that made Victorian grain producer Nick Shady realise he had to move off-farm and commute to ‘work’.
In his early 30s at the time, Mr Shady had worked consistently since leaving school and was worn down by years of failed crops and financial hardship.
Good years brought just as much pressure, to expand the business and continue to grow.
“I’d lost interest in farming,” he said. “I just didn’t have any more drive about what I wanted to do.
“It wasn’t a job, because with a job you can go away; it was a part of your life.”
Victorian grain growers are facing a disastrous season after the hottest start to October on record decimated crops across the state.
Mr Shady believes the inability to escape such harsh realities, which pervade work life and home life, contributes to the high rates of suicide and depression in rural communities.
“I don’t think they can identify it,” he said of his peers’ mental health issues.
“They will just keep going, keep going, keep going, and then something will break.”
New perspective inspires urge to change…
To read the full article, and listen to the audio:
2015-10-20: ‘How to survive the good, bad and ugly realities of farming: escape’ – ABC Rural