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Organiser of the rural wellbeing programme Farmstrong say it has exceeded expectations in its first year, supporting on average 1000 people each week to live and farm well.
In its recently released ‘Making it Happen’ – an annual report-style document -- Farmstrong refers to its first-year reach, impact and successes, notably its website getting 51,451 unique visitors in the first year – reaching around 1000 people a week.
“We’re rapt with the way Farmstrong is tracking. We knew we’d make an impact for farmers and growers, but we couldn’t have dreamed it would gain this much momentum so quickly,” says spokesman Gerard Vaughan.
Other highlights from the report include:
6205 Facebook followers and 1100 on Twitter
31 Healthy Thinking workshops attended by 1122 farmers, growers and agri-professionals
1003 participants in the Farmstrong Challenge, travelling 633,216km
22 South Island rural comedy shows attended by 3150 people.
“These results show there’s a need for this kind of support in farming and farming communities in New Zealand.
“Before we launched Farmstrong we asked farmers what they wanted from a wellbeing programme, and we’re delivering on their requests with such topics such as sleep, nutrition, exercise and ways to get off the farm more,” says Vaughan.
“We want to congratulate and thank everyone who has got involved and taken something from Farmstrong.
“For us the most important asset on the farm is the farmer, and we’ll continue to deliver farmer-led programmes, initiatives and resources to support farmers with this.
“We’re only just getting started. We have a stack of great initiatives on the horizon and are keen to share these with all Kiwi farmers, to help more people live well and farm well.”
Cambridge dairy farmer Marc Gascoigne was at Fieldays this month talking about his journey after suffering a bout of depression and his advice to others. He tells his story:
ACC says that this week's Fieldays is a great chance for farmers to pause and reflect on their processes and ensure that their life is in balance.
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