Farmer Chloe not following the herd
For a 25-year-old woman, landing a key role on a Highland estate is almost unheard-of. Sandra Dick finds out more
IT is a hard and lonely job that is usually the preserve of hardy males.
But Chloe has bucked the trend after being appointed to run one of Scotland’s largest sheep farming operations.
Jahama Highland Estates has made 25-year-old Ms Malcolm the manager of its 12,000 acres of upland farming operations in the Glenshero and Inverlair estates near Laggan, Lochaber.
Chloe was born and brought up on a local Highland farm and has experience in farming in Devon, Dumfriesshire and on the Isle of Bute.
Her appointment represents a departure from the usual demographic for a farm manager. Only 16% of farm managers in Scotland are female, and only 4% are younger than 35.
She has been brought in to innovate and to enhance Jahama Highland Estates’ meat offering – including focusing on rearing good-quality native sheep, with the possibility of expanding into native cattle and venison.
Jahama’s farms have nearly
600 sheep reared on land close to settlements in the glens where conditions permit.
Ms Malcolm said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on this new challenge. Our goal is to produce good-quality livestock as part of our sustainable estate business, while taking good care of the landscape and of natural resources.”
Julia Stoddart, chief operating officer of Jahama Highland Estates, said: “We’re delighted to have Chloe on board. She’ll bring energy and enthusiasm to our farming operation, which is of vital importance to the local economy and environment.”
But it comes as Scotland’s farmers are said to be entering a perfect springtime storm of extra stress, raising fears for their mental health and wellbeing.
Concerns are growing that economic turbulence and uncertainty over leaving the EU, the current health crisis and the annual lambing and calving season are combining to leave some within the agricultural community struggling to cope.
Now the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI), the charity that supports people working in agriculture north of the Border, has highlighted key signs that can suggest farmers are struggling to cope.
They include low mood, overconsumption of alcohol, dishevelled appearance and a reluctance to engage with others, along with a failure to prioritise important tasks.
“On farms up and down the country at this time of year families are working very long hours to ensure animals are well looked after and spring work is done. They are delivering vital work to help provide food, but too often they forget to look after themselves properly at this stressful and tiring time of year,” said the charity’s welfare officer, Mags Granger.
“The stark reality is that every week one farmer in the UK commits suicide, so it is much better to ask and see if you can help, than to wish you had asked, after it is too late,” she added.
The charity says it was already
They are doing vital work, but too often they forget to look after themselves properly at this time of year
helping up to 30 new clients every month before the additional stresses of coronavirus and the demands of the spring season hit.
The charity, which offers financial, practical and emotional support, has increased its number of supporters in an effort to meet rising demand for help from the nation’s farming community.
Last month it emerged that anxiety and depression were being blamed for a “worrying” suicide rate among farmers, sparking fresh research into how to improve mental health within the sector.
A project led by Robert Gordon University and NHS Grampian aimed to interview farmers and draw up recommendations to improve mental welfare.
Farming has the highest suicide rate of any occupation, with financial pressures, incomes derailed by market fluctuations, livestock disease or poor harvests all said to be key stress factors.
The industry also has one of the poorest safety records of any occupation, with stress cited as a factor in farm injuries and accidents – which can also harm productivity.
Meanwhile, poor mental wellbeing among the agricultural sector is also said to have a significant economic cost – the World Health Organisation recently estimated the global burden at £34.9 billion.