BM
This is a West Wimmera Health Service podcast. Presented by me Brigitte Muir.
This series focuses around stories and issues related to health and wellbeing. Some of the people we hear from are sharing their stories, hoping that their experiences will help us with our own health and wellbeing. Please be aware that some of their life experiences may touch on issues that are sensitive to some. Please listen with care. You will find information on seeking help if you need it in the notes attached to each episode.
Welcome to the last episode, of our last series, farmers and friends. Perhaps, it is our last episode, but it is by no means the least.
What happens when you notice your self-worth isn't that great? Self-worth… that's not something we think about too often, is it? I talk with Gippsland farmer Nick Blandford, on Zoom about how his journey into self-worth impacted his life, relationships and views on farmers and farming.
NB
My name is Nick Blandford. I grew up on my family farm in Meerlieu, which is in East Gippsland. I lived there before… sort of heading off to university, and then sort of worked a couple of different jobs in Melbourne and in the ACT, and then came back to the family farm… about eight years ago, in 2016.
BM
You wanted it to share your story with our listeners, because you found out something about yourself that you were not aware of, and something that was dragging you down. Is that right?
NB
So yeah, in 2021 I was a participant in the Gippsland Community Leadership Programme part of that process, I was doing a lot of self-reflection… about who I was as a person. And at… at the time, there was a lot of compounding factors, so we were going through succession, which we’d just come out of the 1920 drought. Obviously, there was through the COVID years and we were also trying to renovate our house that we were living in. And I think I realised at the time that I was… really struggling with my own self-worth… and the value… like I was taking on a couple of leadership positions and I… really struggled with what value I was bringing to that, what value I was bringing to the… the farm. I was working part time at the farm. I was also looking after my kids for a couple of days a week. So… I struggled with what value I was bringing, but also what my identity was that I didn't really fit… feel like I fitted in in a lot of places. So I really struggled with that sense of self-worth at that time.
BM
And then what happened? You… you… did you realise it and… and move on it or… how did it start exactly? Your awareness of it.
NB
I think it compounded over a long time. I think… part of that leadership programme was really developing those tools, to be able to do that self-reflection, and I think I became a lot more aware of it then. I think the thing that I struggled with a lot was I probably didn't feel like… like the key word of depression. I probably wasn't enjoying my life so much. I didn't feel like, like I was able to get out of bed and I didn't have those feelings of suicide.
BM
Was it the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything that was happening, too much on your plate?
NB
Yeah, definitely. I think… there was a lot going on. And then… yeah, I was struggling…
BM
Yeah, yeah shit happens. Life happens. And I’m sure you know, that you probably not the only farmer in that situation.
NB
Yeah, yeah, no, I think… that's part of the reason why I do this is, is that I feel like it is such an important issue and there's so many people going through this and the stats really say that, and it's sort of, yeah… more people need to be able to speak… like I listened to a couple of your podcasts. I think… the one you did with Jumbo, I think that was such a… great story of… someone who's gone through that and been able to overcome those challenges… so
BM
Yeah, and I think, that for him talking about it has been very helpful and… and sharing his story with people so… yeah, I really appreciate that. Self-worth. That's what you mentioned, self-worth, as a farmer, as a person, as a family man. How did that come into play? You realising it, I mean… realising it is such a big thing, and doing something about it. So what did you do when you became aware of it?
NB
So, through the leadership programme, I really felt, doing a lot of that personal development, I probably developed the tools to realise, I probably wasn't going… as well, as what I would have hoped. And so part of that process was really as to step up and go, I need to seek some help from this. So, I went and had an appointment with my GP to develop that mental health plan, and then from that point, I was able to get in contact with a counsellor and have… went through some sessions with her, really helped… to kind of talk about the problem and… really build some resilience around… my own self-worth and… developing some skills to…to understand that it's okay to have those negative thoughts… but not to let them control me as a person.
BM
Yes, it's very easy to fall into that negative… mindset when you're very… busy too and when you have a never ending list of things to do.
NB
Yeah, absolutely. I think like… the other side of that, as well as for me, was to really kind of… develop the sense of my own self-worth wasn't directly linked to… what income I was making in my job, that I was able to provide more as a person, to my family, in leadership roles and things like that, and that I was more of a person than just… yeah, what my identity was as a farmer. There was more to me than that, and that wasn't just the only thing that I did ident…identified me.
BM
Tell me, do you spend any time… outside the farm? Meeting up with other people because having friends is a very important thing too, of course.
NB
Yeah. And I think that was… one of the real challenges with the COVID years was that sense of isolation, and I think it, it is a difficult thing with farmers, that we kind of, often speak of the first and second place as being your home and your workplace, and then that third space… is something that really, is a difficult place to find, and like obviously, community footy clubs, and cricket clubs, and sporting clubs have been a really important part of that for a lot of people. For me, probably more so… joining a lot of community groups… so, my local Landcare group, my local CFA, and then getting involved with some sort of industry programmes, and industry leadership groups has been really important for me to stay connected to other people.
BM
Volunteering is a lifesaver in the countryside, isn't it?
NB
Yeah, absolutely. And it, it can be quite challenging. Like there's a lot of times people feel… a bit overwhelmed by joining some of those committees and things like that. It feels like a lot of responsibility. But even just things like going out and doing tree planting, it's been a really great thing for my mental health…and to be able to do that, and participate as a family, with my kids has been really, really enjoyable.
BM
That's wonderful. So what would your advice be to people… farmers, I guess… males mostly, because they seem to be the one who have the biggest problem sharing their issues with others. What would your advice be to them? If they feel themselves caught into a net of negative thoughts?
NB
I find it really difficult, like… and something really difficult to talk about, like, I feel like, it's really hard to walk around, like, you don't have a sign on your head that says I have depression, ‘please talk to me about it’. And it's something that I find really difficult to go and talk to other people about, like, how do you bring that up? I think it's really important to have those… services available, to be able to do that, to… to be able to see your GP and develop that mental health plan and not feel too proud to be able to do that. I think there's a bit of a challenge at the moment, with being able to access those services… and so some of those organisations like the National Centre for Farmer Health, are doing really important work… to shorten that gap, between how quickly you can get access to a service… and I think that's a really important step. But, I think even just staying connected… and you don't necessarily have to talk about… those negative emotions, but staying connected with other people is a really important part of that as well.
BM
And… and then of course, as a farmer, busy on the farm, it's not always easy to make room for that.
NB
Yeah, absolutely. But it's really important, I think, as one of the steps to do, to really invest back in yourself, and to be able to understand that the most important person on the farm is you, and the people that work on your farm, and so… you're better off making sure you look after that asset, rather than… making sure that the farms running perfectly and like, it can be really challenging, like there's a lot of things… we talk about in farming now around resilience, and that sort of ability to get back up after you've taken the hits. And like obviously, with a lot of environmental problems and natural disasters, it's really difficult to avoid those… and like that becomes such an overwhelming thing for a lot of people but it's really important then to feel supported. And I think that's one of the things struggling within agriculture is… a bit like in the boxing parlance, like we’ve been the ring, we're taking the hits, we're getting knocked down, or when we turn around, we feel really isolated and we don't feel those people that are in our corner, really backing us up. And I think it's sort of an important thing… that we do as an industry that we… we really feel connected… and united as a group.
BM
Yes. And have you seen that happen? With farmers in your area, for example.
NB
I think there are some organisations that are doing really well, like I feel like, something like a Farmers for Climate Action as an organisation has really built that connection with people… that probably kind of feel a bit isolated….often in rural areas, there's a skepticism about climate change, and a lot of people now… have been unwilling to talk about it, but now that they feel like they're part of the collective, that they're more… able to connect on those sort of issues. I… I really think like an advocacy group… that works in that space… that really identifies as targeting mental health, as for farmers, would be a really important step. Sort of… similar to a Farmers for Climate Action, but a really like a farmers for mental health support. As an organisation and a collective, and also like, the other side of that is, to really advocate to governments and organisations like, that to really build those supports and foundations in, to make sure that we have the services in rural and regional areas… to provide that accessibility for people, so they can… receive those supports that they need… at the right time.
BM
Well…yes, yes, absolutely. I mean, farmers are a very important part of our lives. I mean, without farmers, there's no food, and without food, there's no people. So, [chuckles] got to…
NB
Yeah…
BM
… look out for farmers
NB
Yeah, a part of that is nurturing farmers as well, and really feeling supported. So, it’s both within the industry, as well as outside view of the industry, that we feel supported… from the wider population, and I don't think that means we can't be criticised, or… question our practices, but then it's still… like it needs to be… with a bit of care and love as well, I think.
BM
I think the word you're looking for is appreciation.
NB
Yeah, yeah.
BM
We need to appreciate our farmers…. they're doing a vital job for all of us.
NB
Yeah, yep.
BM
Is there anything else, that's you… want to talk about for farmers out there, who…who might not be on top of the situation?
NB
I think as an industry, we've got to be really careful, I think…. Obviously… the National… Farmers Federation and Norco put out the report, of the National Farmer Wellbeing report that came out earlier this year and… some of the statistics that… were really concerning, particularly around… the feelings… of self-harm and suicide in farmers and like, even in younger farmers, those statistics are even higher. I think the response to that report was quite good from a lot of people, but I still think there was a lot of questioning of the… veracity of those statistics. And I feel like… there is probably an endemic problem, in our industry that we're not dealing with particularly well. And I feel like… the kind of response to that needs to be really careful, when we can sort of go into that questioning whether the statistics are real, I think it's more that we need to go ‘Okay, the statistics are real and we've done a really good job of awareness now, but it is taking those next steps to really start bringing those numbers down’.
BM
It's not easy being a farmer, is it?
NB
No… no, there's a lot of compounding factors that go into it… and so… yeah… it's becomes a bit incompatible with a lot of… other lifestyle choices that you're trying to make. So yeah, it can be…
BM
Right
NB
… be quite difficult to… to fit everything in
BM
Like taking time off.
NB
Yeah
BM
Do you ever take time off?
NB
Not a huge amount…. with my wife, the way that she works… she needs a lot of… time before she can take time off. Whereas I'm… like the opposite where I'll be like, ‘Oh, I've got nothing on this week, well ok I can take time off’ and she's like, ‘well…’ … and then it's fine. Yeah, there's a bit of a disconnect there…
BM
Yeah
NB
…. between the two of us.
BM
So she works off the farm?
NB
Yeah, yep.
BM
Do you see yourself in farming, 10 years from now? You were talking about… the succession planning?
NB
Yeah. Well, that's kind of… the whole problem at the moment, is that… we've gone through a succession plan, but that was more of… my dad or my uncle separating their business from each other. And that next step… of like, my parents to me, and my generation, and my sisters… so working out how that succession plan is gonna go. So, we've still gotta do that. The problem at the moment generally with the business is that we're probably not… not generating enough income to be able to support the two families… working in the business… while we're separating my dad or my uncle's part, of the business. I don't know if I can afford to keep working in that… on the farm at the moment. So…
BM
Sure
NB
…and what that looks like for the future…. So… that's sorta… of why things are a little bit up in the air.
BM
Yes, yes… and I reckon that's the case with a lot of people around the land… at the moment. Not, not so many…
NB
Yeah….
BM
… people in the younger generation are willing to take on… farming, are they?
NB
Yeah… and obviously, the cost of entry… there's a lot of barriers to do that. But I think we're kind of… like, succession planning such a fraught thing. But, I think we're getting better at doing that sort of, ownership transition of how that's gonna work, but then it's also that management transition, to be able to step away and go ‘okay, who's in charge of who makes the decisions and how does that work?’
BM
There's…there’s outside help, you can get those isn’t there?
NB
Yeah, in terms of the people that we've had, they're really good at getting that ownership transition to work really well. But in terms of that management transition, they probably haven't really focused on that. A lot of people talk about it, but… it's the working in the business, and working on the business, and to be able to devote that time to working on the business. Make sure that you get those… processes and things in place to make sure you know what's happening.
BM
It sounds like in the long term, it's worth investing in… spending that little bit of time… even if it's just one little bit at a time, isn't it?
NB
Yeah, absolutely. It's yeah, a really important part of… that business transition.
BM
Well, I think I'll leave you to it now, and…. thank you so much for spending time with me this morning. I really… am appreciative of your… honesty and willingness… to… send your story out there to help other farmers. So, thank you so much for that, Nick, that… that’s been absolutely amazing, thank you.
NB
Thanks very much for having me.
BM
That was Nick Blandford, farmer and farmer health advocate. Nick, like many throughout our series, highlighted how health… can play a pivotal role in our lives. Whether it be something big, like a heart attack, or just making sure to do things you enjoy. Yep, looking after your farm starts with looking after yourself.
Well, it's time to say goodbye, with a huge thank you from me and the West Wimmera Health Service team. Thank you to all of you who have listened and engaged, with the series over the past four seasons. We have heard some truly inspirational stories, and we are very grateful to everyone who has been a part of the Farmer Wants a Healthy Life podcast. We wish you all the best with your own health and wellbeing journey. Have a healthy life won’t you.
You will find as always contact numbers and details in the notes attached to this episode. And while you're at it, please give us a star rating. We'd also love to hear your comments and suggestions. Our Facebook and Twitter details are in the notes.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai edited by West Wimmera Health Service Health Promotion team.