Sometimes we need to look after the ‘me’

Our new Farmer’s View columnist, John Scott, is an award-winning farmer from the Black Isle, with experience in modern farming systems, pedigree cattle and sheep and a progressive attitude to farmers’ well-being.

FINALLY, winter has kicked in with intent and we seem to have gone from autumn to winter in the blink of an eye.

To be fair that seems to be the way the world operates these days so there’s no reason why the weather should be any different. In an age where digital technology rules, we live our lives at a faster pace than we ever have before and it’s so easy to get sucked into a vortex which is spinning quicker than sensible for both body and mind.

I’m a classic example of a farmer who has, over the years, developed bad habits which really aren’t good for me or those around me and are proving challenging to shift. Hands up, I have addiction issues!

The first thing I do in the mornings when I come downstairs is check my phone, text, missed calls, what’s app, twitter and Facebook, usually in that order – and I repeat this process far too many times in the subsequent waking hours.

My other major addiction over the past 40 years has been farming. In that period my passion for the industry has been pretty strong, to be honest it has wavered from time to time ... mostly in the spring when I have pushed myself physically and mentally beyond optimum.

Those who know me would question whether those periods when I temporarily fall out of love with farming have a direct correlation to the number of sheep we are lambing in that particular year? It’s a valid point and this year does see us tupping fewer ewes than we have in the last 10 years and no hoggs that we know about (fencing issues last year); but let’s park that theory for now and explore another angle.

Like many other farmers and crofters, I haven’t historically been good at looking after myself, arguably one of the farms most important assets along, of course, with my wife, Fiona, who shares the highs and lows of farming with me. We consistently demand more of our bodies and minds than they are able to give and wonder why every now and again we start to shut down.

The signs are fairly obvious, decisionmaking becomes difficult, we are constantly fatigued and I’m certainly more short tempered than usual, so we don’t exactly skip out the back door of the house every morning!

For those of you reading this and thinking ‘aye this sounds familiar’, I speak to far more people who identify with this than those who don’t, so we are ‘normal’ – don’t worry about it. But it does highlight the need for us to do something about it, preferably collectively as the craic is always better that way.

My knowledge of wellbeing, which is continuously developing and learning, stems from Doug Avery’s tour of Scotland in 2018. Having followed him on Facebook, which proves it does have some value, he agreed to come over, with the support of RHASS and spoke at a series of events across the country.

He talked about his own experiences with mental health and how he had become more resilient, both practically in terms of his farming systems and more importantly, mentally. He learned to ‘look after his top paddock’ as the Kiwis would say.

On our last meeting with Doug and his awesome wife, Wendy, we asked what we should do next and his reply was ‘have a look at Farmstrong ... it’s doing great things in New Zealand’.

Farmstrong is a nationwide well being programme for the rural community which aims to help farmers ‘live well, to farm well’. It was set up in 2015 and now helps more than 20,000 farmers and growers annually.

It started with a series of comedy roadshows which encouraged farmers to get off farm and talk to each other, and has gone from strength to strength building a strong online presence with interactive website and social media channels share best practice, as well as an active programme of events and open meetings.

Topics cover various things, including eating and sleeping well, five ways to wellbeing, avoiding stress and burnout, keeping fit and taking time off farm and much more! Check out www. farmstrong.co.nz for more info.

Now, it’s taken a while, but with the support of RHASS as a founding partner and the Movember foundation who are generously matching every £1 donated to ensure the project is viable long term, our small steering group are close to launching Farmstrong Scotland.

Following the New Zealand blueprint, we have completed the first phase of research which more than 500 farmers and crofters completed. We are now analysing the data, but results were unanimous in the demand from participants for a programme such as this in our industry. One that is peer to peer.

We are in regular contact with the Farmstrong team in New Zealand and their project manager, Gerard Vaughn, is supporting Scotland on an advisory basis, joining us weekly to ensure we deliver something that is truly fit for purpose and can make a difference.

To kick things off in January/February, 2023, we will be taking to the road with Marc Gascoigne, a dairy farmer from New Zealand who faced extreme depression and anxiety, leading him to fall out of love with farming.

He will join us in Scotland to tell us about his experiences and how Farmstrong helped him. Having met him via zoom, it would be fair to say I’m excited about his visit. I think he could make a real difference to us and in terms of Farmstrong Scotland, it will start the year in a very positive way.

I won’t say too much more, as the ‘big’ roadshow announcement will be coming at the start of December, but please keep an eye on press and social media for details of the tour. It will be free and open to anyone who would like to attend within the farming and crofting community.

I find myself referring to the Farmstrong NZ website on a regular basis and whilst I still have a long way to go in terms of forming habits which will change my life, I’m certainly on the right track.

One of the best things I do is speak to people. When I feel myself getting a bit low, I reach out to friends and they often recognize the signs, and step in to lift my spirits. I return the favor wherever I can.

Our industry is changing and whilst its important our businesses evolve to cope with change, we mustn’t forget about our most important asset ... ourselves!