Friday, 17 June 2016 10:55

What makes a resilient farmer?

Written by 
DairyNZ wellness and wellbeing specialist Dana Carver. DairyNZ wellness and wellbeing specialist Dana Carver.

Science backs what humans need to thrive, and DairyNZ wellness and wellbeing specialist Dana Carver is keen for dairy farmers to benefit from such science to stay strong and healthy.

Wellness is as much a science as the study of grass species or cow conditioning, Carver says.

Her workshop on this topic at last year's South Island Dariy Event was highly rated, many people asking for a repeat.

"Most said they knew of someone else who would benefit from coming along, and we're hoping that will happen. It's encouraging that so many people in the industry are starting to talk about wellness and resilience.

"We're keen for farmers to discuss tips from the workshop with family and colleagues in their networks."

Her talk is themed, 'The resilient farmer: keeping yourself strong amidst the ever-increasing pressures of farming'. She will talk about what it means to be healthy and how to deal with stress, with practical examples.

"The stressors aren't going away, but there are things you can do as an individual that will help you; these don't cost anything and don't need to take up a lot of time," she says.

For example, set aside time to turn off the television and play a board game with the family, get off the farm once a fortnight for three hours, or make a simple change to diet.

Carver will tell stories of changes made by some farmers who attended previous workshops, including one who now jogs the 2km from his home to the milking shed – and back – each morning. "It's made all the difference to his stress, and it's a cool example of what a small change can make."

She will speak about understanding your personality and values, and how this can help with decisionmaking, handling the unexpected, stress and burnout.

And she will remind farmers that farming should be enjoyable as well as profitable.

More like this

Musical chairs

OPINION: DairyNZ's director elections has seen scientist Jacqueline Rowarth re-elected for another three-year term.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer levy for the first time in the industry-good body's 17-year history.

Tributes to retiring 'Jim the farmer'

Doing what is right, not what is easy, has been the hallmark of Jim van der Poel's leadership of, and advocacy for, the dairy industry, attendees at the DairyNZ annual general meeting heard last week.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

'Quite a journey'

Former Synlait chief executive Grant Watson says the past two years have been quite the journey.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer…

Former Fonterra CEO dies

Former Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings passed away in the Netherlands over the weekend.

Machinery & Products

Milk Sustainability Centre launched

The recently announced Milk Sustainability Centre – a collaboration between global giant John Deere and milking and feed specialists De…

Data connection made easier

New Holland and Case IH are introducing new advancements in their precision technology stack to make farming easier and more…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Feed from farmers

OPINION: The country's dairy farmers will now also have a hand in providing free lunch for schools.

Brighter future

OPINION: The abrupt departure of Synlait chief executive Grant Watson could be a sign that Chinese company Bright Dairy, the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter