Healing through calendar
Michaela Whiting is a strong and dedicated dairy farmer from Labertouche.
Since having to let go of her full-time farm hand two years ago due to the dairy crises, Michaela has been milking on her own ever since.
She says there is a stigma in the community attached to sole female dairy farmers, a stigma she wishes to blow out of the water.
“Sometimes, when men come to the shed, they look past me to see where my husband is.”
It was always Michaela’s dream to run her own farm.
For the past 14 years she’s been milking p to 200 cows, raising two children, supporting her husband’s shed building business and encouraging other women in isolated careers to talk together and encourage each other.
“There is a lot of juggling in my life. When I’m sick, I just take medication and get on with it. I just have to hope that none of the juggling balls come crashing down. The cows, my family, they need me.”
Michaela says that during the winter months the struggle to get up each and every morning is real, however, armed with her ‘can do’ and incredibly positive attitude she pushes on.
Michaela’s biggest struggle in her own mental health journey is the guilt she experiences as a mother.
The farm always calls her away to different duties, particularly during calving season. Feeling a sense that she’s letting her children down is something she’s had to confront.
During one particularly tough time, her kids and husband went on a holiday and left Michaela at home to milk alone.
But Michaela pushed on through the loneliness, always seeking out other mums who understood her pain.
“I’ve survived through fire, floods, droughts and working for a loss during the crisis. It’s a great lifestyle for the kids, myself. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“But it’s important to not always put ourselves last. Remember to get off the farm, seek out a friend, any small gesture can help another.”