‘We’ve got to do better’: farmers tackle mental health

“The idea is that it’s farmers helping others in our industry — so it comes from us,” Stuart Austin said, a farmer and mental health advocate who’s helping to run the workshops.

“We’re focusing on the driest areas first ... it’s just really changed the dynamic in a very short period of time and I think it’s caught a lot of people off guard,” he said.

The NSW-based producer got the idea for the farmer to farmer workshops when he received a flurry of emails telling him life was about to get tough.

“I got about half a dozen emails in a day, all from different agencies, saying the drought’s been declared — prepare for dry conditions, and if you’re having a hard time call Lifeline.”

“I just thought, we’ve got to do better than that,” he said.

One in five Australians will develop a mental illness each year, while only 30 per cent will seek help, that falls even further the more remote the person is.

For Mr Austin, who has had his own mental health struggles in the past, said being able to tell someone needs help was vital.

“I had a lot of people help me through that period and I will be forever grateful,” he said

“I’m not trying to suggest that we know any better than anyone else, but hopefully we can connect with people and get a bit more engagement.”

The workshops will be held in 11 towns across Queensland and NSW.

Gem and Stu Green, who run sheep and cattle at Mandurama in central western NSW, were helped during the millennial drought with guidance from another producer.

“We can get all the technical support in the world from the department of ag, but it was the conversation around the decision making process that allowed us to go forward," Mr Green said.

“That conversation for me actually changed the whole impact of the drought for us.”

The planned meetings will also offer practical farming advice.

The Greens said the most recent drought years of 2018 and 2019 were very different to today as farmers were paid more for their livestock when destocking.

“It’s really time for us as an industry to step up and look after our own farmers, and offer that peer to peer support,” Mr Green said.

The workshops will be supported by mental health specialists and aims to educate those who work with farmers too.

Mental health worker Letitia Cross, who runs the Rural Adversity Mental Health program, will be on hand to help.

“We’ve noticed increased stress and people struggling,” Ms Cross said.

“The aim is to get people information, knowledge and skills so that we don't have to be dealing with things when they’re at crisis point.”

Organisers hope the program could be rolled out across Australia.

If this story has raised concerns for you, call Lifeline on 131 114 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636.