Genetics helping breed the best farm working dogs
Soon farmers and working dog breeders will be able to have a dog that best suits their needs thanks to a team of researchers at Massey University.
Mental health and resilience programme WellMates is available at Massey University for a second year after research found that it has significantly benefitted participants.
Developed by Lincoln University after the suicides of former alumni, WellMates promotes mental health and wellbeing to first year ag students. Studies show farmers are prone to experiencing burnout and especially young adults in the rural community, with this group making up a quarter of farm suicides.
Massey’s School of Social Work senior lecturer Dr Nicky Stanley- Clarke says WellMates is having a positive effect in increasing awareness and building knowledge of mental health.
Conducting surveys on 19 participating and 58 non-participating students, those who participated in the programme showed greater mental health and wellbeing knowledge for those who participated than those who didn’t.
“WellMates helped them build their skills and improve their confidence in advocating for themselves and others,” Stanley-Clarke adds.
An interesting trend that appeared in the pre-programme survey was the number of students who presented with optimism bias. This is underestimation of the possibility of experiencing stressful situations and severity of these. Research found that peerto- peer connection is very important in combating this thinking.
A second round of funding from Massey Lincoln Agriculture Industry Fund (MLAIF) has also provided the opportunity for WellMates to be offered online this year – with learning designers at Massey translating the content from in-person courses and recording videos and voiceovers. This will be incorporated into a module embedded within learning platforms such as Stream, with additional available resources for wellbeing and counselling services like TalkCampus.
The Massey pilot is being led by Lincoln students trained in the programme, who flew up to Palmerston North to deliver and facilitate the programme.
This was run as a ‘conversation’ rather than a lecture, to further the point of it being about mental wellness, rather than a purely academic exercise.
“Students will get to hear from people like them about how important it is to manage your wellbeing and to know how to access support which helps break down stigma, particularly around the ‘tough farmer’ ideal,” explains Stanley- Clarke. “When you see others like you having that conversation, you’re more likely to join in and be engaged.”
Stanley-Clarke hopes younger people moving into rural communities can take back what they’ve learnt and pass it along. She also hopes to expand the programme into other spaces adjacent to – and outside of – agriculture.
“Any lives lost to suicide is too many. Whatever we can do to build and strengthen knowledge around mental health wellbeing, as well as share how to reach out to access support and support others, has to be good.”
WellMates will be hosted in Massey’s agriculture environment course as part of its Animal Science paper.
Rural retailer Farmlands has launched a new casual clothing range available across 42 stores nationwide and through its online store.
Federated Farmers says the health and safety changes announced this week by the Government represent the start of overdue reforms.
The Government is calling on rural New Zealanders to share their views on proposed regulations designed to improve the management of farm plastic waste.
For many urban New Zealanders, stepping into Pāmu’s Pinta dairy farm near Taupo last month was the first time they had had the chance to experience farm life up close.
After tasting 240 New Zealand made cheeses, judges have bestowed medals upon 199 of the entries.
Bay of Plenty’s top share farmers Andre and Natalie Meier are no strangers to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards winning circle.
OPINION: At last, a serious effort to better connect farmers and scientists.
OPINION: If you believe Maori Party president John Tamihere’s claim that “nothing dodgy” occurred at Manurewa Marae during the last…