Backbone of Britain: Don't suffer in silence

“I make a point of checking in to ask whether they’re [farming clients] okay, asking twice if necessary”

David Anderson

Onset

Vickie Turner, a tenant farmer at Okeover Estate, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, also mentions how uncontrollable factors like the weather can bring a lot of stress to the family.

She says: “No matter how well we’ve planned what needs to be done, the weather can intervene, and we end up trying to cram a fortnight’s worth of work into just a few days.

“I think over time we’ve learned that we need to take the time to sit down, discuss the problems and what needs doing, then share the stress between us.”

Vickie, her husband and youngest son farm 113 hectares (279 acres), keeping 350 Texel cross ewes alongside an 85- to 100-cow suckler herd. Her husband also does contract fencing work to help diversify their income.

She says: “We’ve struggled with bTB on and off in the 13 years since we came here.

“We went down again in August, which was very demoralising. There have been times when we’ve had more than 50 animals condemned for slaughter, once with three-quarters of our in-calf heifers in one go, which was

awful.”

Vickie explains how bTB has been a strain on the family business, which has in turn been a challenge to their mental health.

She says: “The kind of pressure that comes from bTB can be really troubling. We usually sell stores, so if we’re still shut down in March, we’ll be stuck with no income, other than the funds from the contract fencing, and too many animals on-farm until we can start selling lambs later in the year.

“It feels lonely, with people seeming near but so far away at the same time. It’s very easy to feel that by reaching out you might be bothering people, but I also know if someone in a similar situation reached out to me then I’d have so much time for them. I’d try to reassure them that they’ll be able to come out the other side.

“I think there is a tendency for farmers to feel like they can’t show their emotions, and I get that, because it’s easy to convince yourself that the challenges are going to go away, but actually not talking about it can mean the problems snowball and get worse.

“I also think it’s really important for us, as a farming community, to check in and remember to take five minutes to ask whether people are okay, especially if there’s a bit of a noticeable change, like they’re quieter than normal.”