SIDE to focus on the farmer

The focus of SIDE at Lincoln University from June 22-24, 2015 is on the farmer. Not only will there be workshops to help farmers find efficiencies in their business, they will also be presenting on the importance of looking after physical and mental well-being when farming under pressure.

Dairy NZ farmer wellness and wellbeing specialist Dana Carver is presenting a workshop at SIDE 2015 on "the Resilient Farmer – keeping yourself strong amidst the ever-increasing pressures of farming."

She is expecting strong interest given the talk has already been presented widely, and is proving very popular across New Zealand.

"People love it because it focuses on real-world and farmer-specific solutions to the practicalities of keeping yourself healthy. So saying to someone they must sleep well is fine, but what are the practical things you can do for yourself when you're spending half the night awake and worrying?" she says.

She will be presenting statistics to show that a lot more farmers are experiencing excessive stress, and talk about why farming is a more stressful occupation than it was 30 years ago. "We will look at why the stresses are there, and think about what we can do as an industry to change the culture."

Carver, who is a farmer herself, will also be outlining the research about what to do about stress so farming can be enjoyable. "This is the more exciting research – it focuses on the day-to-day reality of what it means to be healthy and is presented with a farming slant."

"I'm really wanting to get some good practical questions from farmers on the detail of how to implement change, like how to fit exercise into a really busy lifestyle, and what is needed to plan meals so that healthy eating is a reality."

"I'm also hoping that farmers will discuss these tips with family and colleagues in their networks afterwards."

"The stressors facing the dairy farmer of today aren't going away, the solution is to therefore be on top of the stress factors and be sharp, as an individual and as an industry – farming should be enjoyable as well as profitable."

Numbers attending SIDE are restricted to the venue capacity, so early booking is recommended. The early-bird closing date is Friday May 29, 2015. Visit the SIDE website for more information and registration details http://side.org.nz/