The message was clear at a recent Harvesting Health event in Rangiora Canterbury hosted by the regional Rural Support Trust.
More than 140 people attended the recent Harvesting Health event in Rangiora Canterbury.
North Canterbury Rural Support Trust hosted the evening with support from Farmstrong, Mainpower, Fonterra, Rabobank and FMG. The aim was to pass on practical advice about how farmers and growers can manage farming challenges and keep well.
Rural Support Trust wellness Coordinator Jenny Cations-Brown said she was pleased with the turnout.
“We did a show of hands to see how many rural people were there and three-quarters of the room were rural so that filled my heart with happiness,” she said.
Cations-Brown said it’s been a challenging time for farmers and growers in the area with recent drought conditions.
“Community get-togethers like this are an important part of getting through tough times,” she said.
The event featured well-known figures from the local sporting scene including Shane Fletcher, the high performance campaign manager for NZ Rugby, who spoke about managing peak-performing teams; John Roche, lead physiotherapist for the Crusaders, who shared how exercise positively influences health and wellbeing; and Jo Hopkinson-Haigh, a physiotherapist and mindfulness expert who specialises in breathing techniques that reduce stress, anxiety and chronic pain.
Topping off the speaking roster was Otago high country sheep and beef farmer Jack Cocks. Cocks has spent the past 11 years recovering from a life-threatening brain aneurysm and went through multiple surgeries. He subsequently completed a Kellogg’s study of five farmers who had thrived in the face of major adversity.
His study showed the farmers had three things in common. First, they knew their purpose – why they’re doing what they’re doing. Second, they had great support – key people they connected with regularly who could help them through adversity and, finally, they knew their “what” – the things they needed to do in their lives to keep well and stay happy.
Cocks has given more than 30 presentations, here and overseas, on how farmers can stay resilient and thrive in the face of adversity, and he regularly speaks on behalf of Farmstrong.
Local farmer Paul Spark was one of those listening. He said the evening was a good reminder the importance of staying connected with mates and maintaining a positive outlook.
Spark loves his farming and worked his way into farm ownership from scratch, including many years dairy farming. He now owns and manages several beef farms. His approach to farming is a great example of someone thriving no matter what Mother Nature or the markets sends their way.
“Farming is seriously my dream job. I get up with a spring in my step every single morning and love it. You’ve just got to realise that nothing’s going to go your way all the time in farming, and keep doing things that fill your cup.”
To keep well and catch up with mates, Spark enters multisport events. “I’ve done six Godzone adventure races. I also do lots of mountain biking and trail running.”
He also loves hunting. “I’m a mad keen pig hunter. I carry pig dogs with me the whole time on farm. If I see pigs, I’ll just cut loose the dogs and we’ll catch one during the week.”
Spark said he enjoyed the various speakers.
“It’s all good preventative stuff about getting fit and maintaining human connections. The actual message was clear: work hard but look after yourself along the way. Don’t leave it too late. Keep fit and make sure you have those connections. You need to have good mates.”
Cations-Brown said: “Farmstrong and the Rural Support Trust work well together and prioritise the wellbeing and resilience of farmers and the rural community by offering support, resources, and a platform for connection, recognising the unique challenges faced by those in rural industries.
“One of the takeouts of the evening for me was how important it is to tell our own stories. There’s a lot of wisdom in rural communities and farmers listen to other farmers. If you’re wanting to get rural people along to an event it really helps to have people like Jack speaking. Many of the people who came had read articles about him and were excited to meet him. What he had to face and how he’s come through is an amazing story.”
Spark agrees the past year has not been the easiest.
“Last year we had a drought for six months, and terrible interest rates, and we had to hunker down like nothing else. There’s no point dwelling on it, though. You can’t change it. When it’s like that, that’s when you should go out and mix more often. Don’t be insular and just stay home.
“When we go out with our mates, we don’t even talk about farming. We’re all farmers but we don’t talk about the weather or interest rates. There’s no point worrying about things you can’t control.
“The reality is life is not fair sometimes. You’re going to have hurdles, but I think everyone’s got so much more potential, resilience and strength in them than they’d ever believe.”
Farmstrong is a nationwide rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers manage the difficulties of farming and growing. For free tools and resources visit here.
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