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Farmer Chris Manley encourages people to take time out for activities like walking and talk about their mental health.
Farmers have been urged to talk about their mental health after revealing the pressures they face.
At the Farm Safety Foundation (FSF), he says chaotic costs, environmental pressures and uncertainty have led to psychological problems.
It says it has led to an increase in risky behaviors and accidents.
Up to 94% of UK farmers under 40 say mental health is one of the hidden problems they face every day, according to the FSF report.
It comes after figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that 36 farmers will lose their lives across the UK in 2021 alone, 22 of them due to accidents.
Ben Cooper, who farms with his father in East Royal, says Wiltshire can be a very isolating job.
“You can spend hours on tractors by yourself or with animals and that can be very detrimental to your mental health,” Mr Cooper said.
“It’s definitely challenging – agriculture is one of the only industries where you have to think about a lot every day.
“There are a lot of things that can lead to certainty and that’s a big cause for concern.”
image source, Poppy Jakes
Farmer Chris Manley says farms are currently struggling to hire more people in the sector.
In an effort to encourage people to speak up, fellow farmer Chris Manley organized Walk With Me for International Men’s Day last November.
Mr Manley added that the high proportion of men working in the industry meant there was an added pressure of “masculinity”.
“We want to show that we are strong, we want to show you that we can push forward,” he said.
‘Great Exposure’
Mr Manley added that the number of people working in agriculture today is leading to stigmatization and contributing to poor mental health.
The FSF has launched the Keep Your Mind campaign in 2018 to draw attention to the serious risks and uncertainties facing the farming industry following Brexit.
This year’s event, held last month, aims to remind people who live and work in the industry to take care of their mental health.
“Putting my story on social media involved a lot of vulnerability,” Mr Manley said of his own mental health experiences.
But, as a result, he says he wants to encourage other people not to be afraid to seek therapy and to talk to a therapist if they feel they need it.
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