Farmer mental health: Take charge and make that first call

Let alone when drought is strong-arming you into making difficult decisions.

But as Hay-based Rural Resilience Officer Danny Byrnes says, that first choice is always the hardest.

“It sounds like a cliche but it is true: During really hard times on the farm, often the hardest decision is to make a decision,” he said.

His co-ordinator, Caroline Hayes, agrees.

Especially with the evidence she’s seeing across her patch of the Hunter Valley.   

“When it’s a drought it is complex, and depends on what is happening on the farm,” she said.  

“(In NSW at the moment) people’s biggest fear seems to be, if they’re in breeding and they have destocked, it will be years and years before they can afford to get back in, and then years and years again before they start making money.  

“If the decision is to feed, then that's okay, but you need a plan.

“With mental health... the most stressful thing is trying to make a decision and everyone is trying to make the best decision. You do that with the best information at hand.”

It’s been a busy time for Caroline and Danny - and the rest of the Department of Primary Industry’s Rural Resilience team - with livestock hungry, and feed limited across parched inland areas of the state.

Others are crying out for a few drops as they plan their sowing regime.

“The mood is varying degrees of concern, from mild to extreme stress,” Caroline said,.

“The main problem is obviously a lack of rain, which leads to a lack of feed, a lack of water, and selling stock.

Danny: “The impacts of a drought can often not be now, they’re unloading stock now. It’s in six months time when they should be selling.”

Once concession is that livestock prices have been quite strong.

“Farmers that did make decision to sell early, haven’t regretted it,” Caroline said.

“We’re not saying that it is the right or wrong move, but what we are hearing is that it has given those people a bit more certainty. They know how much they’ve got, what is happening for their animals.”  

Both Danny and Caroline agree that speaking up is the first thing a farmer should do when they’re feeling under the pump.

“Who that may be will vary according to the person,” Caroline said.

“It might be a family member, a friend - it might might be another farmer. Talk to your peers. Talk to mental health providers, talk to rural financial counsellors.”

She said often people don’t want to go locally for mental health issues, want to keep their privacy. But there are phone and internet services that can also help.

“The main thing is: talk to someone. Make the decision to make that first call,” she said.

“It is important to take charge. While the services are out there, you have to be proactive and take action.

“You can’t sit back. Reaching out… The sense of achievement, no matter how small, is massively improves mental health and wellbeing.”