Important to reach out and ask for help

I HAVE a very vivid recollection of sitting in a mathematics lesson during my first or second year in secondary school, completely confused having totally misunderstood and failed to grasp what the teacher was explaining.

I can remember looking around the room and everyone else had seemingly grasped the method of completing the sums or formula presented. When my name was called to answer one of many quickfire questions from the front, I gave a pot shot answer, and to my relief the answer I gave was correct. The teacher moved on to the next pupil and after a series of correct answers, the whole class had seemingly understood what had been explained.

My cover was blown when the worksheets were collected, and my sheet had more gaps and wrong answers than any meaningful calculations. Maths never was my strong point at school and it took some extra time, assistance and explanation for me to get my head around the damned formula. The moral of the story is quite a clear one.

Mental Health Awareness Week has just highlighted the importance of reaching out and asking for help if we find ourselves in a quandary or jam to prevent escalation of the issue. I find that message to be particularly pertinent in what is a challenging time.

I think it’s important to accurately illustrate our situation as it is to elected representatives.

The challenge for the industry is to show our weaknesses as well as our strengths, the threats alongside the opportunities, the challenges along with the achievements. We all want to be seen at our best, as I did in the maths class. The worksheets exposed my weakness and luckily, there was no time constraint on the teacher to help me.

Understanding the lesson was not a make-or-break scenario, and not a once in a generation opportunity. However, the Agriculture (Wales) Bill is just that.

Although we all want to be seen in the best light possible, showing the reality is of utmost importance for our advocates to campaign for the support to be delivered to the right places in the right way. That way we will achieve the best possible outcome for our rural communities. Meeting elected representatives at prestigious events in the agricultural calendar might be seen as an opportune time to engage with the powers that be. I do feel, however, that the best and real engagement is away from the gaze of the media lens, in honest and frank exchanges between practitioners of agriculture and those who formulate and implement policy.

Please speak to your elected representatives as individuals at every given opportunity. At this critical juncture, we can ill-afford any error in the name of pride, image or impression. As the US entrepreneur, broadcaster and FT columnist James Altucher said: “Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure.”