Helping communities with the highs and lows

And, as the new national chair of Rural Support Trust, she also knows the importance of one-on-one support provided to farmers and growers experiencing tough times.

Ruddell took over the chairmanship in September. She also chairs RST Te Tai Tokerau.

She has first-hand experience working with farmers under the pump. She joined the RST in 2018 as an agricultural facilitator. During the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, she worked with four affected farmers in Northland. As Northland chair, she was also at the forefront of helping farmers recover after Cyclone Gabrielle hit two years ago.

Ruddell admits being initially daunted when elected as RST national chair.

"At first is was overwhelming, but I quickly pushed the self-doubt to the side. I know I'm capable and have got the ability to lead the organisation,” she told Dairy News on her farm at Pipiwai, 30km northwest of Whangarei.

“I feel energised and am looking forward to making a lasting impact.”

Rural Support Trust, started as a voluntary grassroots organisation as early as the late 1980s, to help support farmers and has gained increased awareness through its services within rural communities and in particular the one-on-one support provided to farmers and growers.

It has 14 regional selfgoverning branches. The national body has to ensure a sustainable organisation and secure funding to run the 300- strong team.

Ruddell admits that funding remains a challenge. While the Ministry for Primary Industries provides some funding, it’s nowhere near meeting RST’s operational costs. It relies on donations and fund raising to make ends meet. “Currently it is hard; it’s great to have some MPI funding but that doesn’t come close to meeting operational costs. To meet the shortfall, regions must fundraise,” she says.

The RST has a close working relationship with Fonterra with a sponsorship manager from the co-op working closely with the national body to secure sponsorships for which Ruddell is grateful.

Ruddell points out that the regional organisations are run by mostly volunteers and rely on in-kind donations.

“We are grateful to our volunteers, but the challenge is with our workload increasing, how long can these volunteers carry on.”

Ruddell says the report should be ready within three months.

“The key points will be why Rural Support Trust matters, the value we provide and why we should be funded.”

Another avenue of funding could be other government ministries. Ruddell says there’s a great overlap with what they do in the health and mental health space.

“Perhaps it’s time to look at other ministries, like health,” she adds.

Ruddell is in no doubt that the RST is “absolutely making an impact”.

Case numbers are increasing year-on-year, she points out. In Northland, the number of ag facilitators working with farmers and growers has jumped from six to 20. The number of active cases that used to between 35 to 40 two years ago has crept up to 150.

“Our ag facilitators across the region are getting more and more work, they are having to employ more ag facilitators to meet that demand.”

Ruddell notes that another reason for the jump in cases is RST’s growing profile.

She says more farmers are now referring someone they know, who needs support, to the RST.

“We have a very important role in helping with the wellbeing of farmers and growers.

“Through challenging times, we play an integral part in connecting rural people to each other and to the communities.

“Another key role has been connecting farmers to rural professionals with specialist skillset for challenges faced, be it financial advice, legal advice, counselling or employment advice.

“So, we play a really pivotal role in that one-on- one support and walk alongside farmers and growers.”

Mental Challenge

Michelle Ruddell and her husband Troy are contract milkers on a 350ha farm.

They milk 800 cows and do split calving – in autumn and spring.

The couple employ two full-time staff. Ruddell looks after the accounts and the calf rearing business while raising their three teenage girls.

Ruddell says life on farm is challenging as “you ride the highs and go pretty low through the lows and dark days”.

She doesn’t think women in the dairy industry give themselves enough credit for what they do.

“I’m immensely proud of all dairy women - the support they provide to family, partners and husbands.

“Some days, it’s easier some days amazing and other days hard.

“You live breath and work under the same roof 24/7.

“There aren’t too many places to hide when things get tough. For me the mental challenge has been hard, switching off from farmer to wife, sometime having to take that stress home.”