Farmers across Lincolnshire and Newark urged to talk about mental health as the industry faces multitude of pressures

Lincolnshire and Newark's farmers are being urged to open up about their mental health, as recent events like flooding and rising prices, are putting huge strain on those working in the industry.

The Mind Your Head campaign by the Farm Safety Foundation Yellow Wellies is hoping to encourage people to seek support if they're struggling.

Simon Scott is the Managing Director of DGM Growers in South Holland - they grow speciality vegetables like courgettes and chicory. He says it can be a difficult industry:

"It's like everything seems to be amplified at the moment, you know, I think we've always had a challenging climate, and issues to deal with as a farming industry. But, I think certainly this current year just passed we've seen a real extreme. I think it started - typically as a lot of the UK crops are planted - in spring, which at the time was pretty miserable, it was cold, we didn't have good sunlight, so that got the season off to a bad start as seed drilling and planting didn't really take very well.

"We were always going to see a slight drop in yield, but then that culminated in probably the wettest autumn for many years, and that wasn't just in the UK, we had to source roots from some of the products that we usually grow, like chicory, from growers in Holland.

"But even the Dutch, the French, Belgium... we were all suffering similar problems of fields being too wet, unable to get tractors out and harvest crops, which at that point is a real disaster. After spending the previous six months, nurturing them and watering them, and getting them up to the standard that they need to be. So yeah, it's frustrating and yeah, quite tiring at the time as well."

Simon added that support is really important:

"I think when you overlay issues with rising costs and the climate concerns, you know it's a tricky industry, but I think it's always been a tricky industry. We're a lot more sensitive of the issues now... absolutely it is stressful being a farmer. It's a stressful industry, you know, and it feels nowadays that sometimes there's probably more periods of risk than there are rewards.

"I mean, it's very demoralising if you put your heart and soul into something only for - at the last minute, through no fault of your own - that that is taken away. I mean, thankfully, it hasn't happened to us, so I can't talk first hand, you know, of any direct impact of flooding. But if I was a potato farmer, and you're unable to lift your crop out the ground, that can make you hit rock bottom, and if you haven't got the support network around you to help support or guide you through it, I mean, you could be facing financial ruin as well as, a mental health crisis."

DGM Growers are renowned for growing chicory – being the people to produce the crop commercially in the UK.

They also grow other specialist vegetables such as celeriac, fennel, pak choi, artichokes, peas and beans.

This week, marks the seventh annual Mind Your Head campaign which hopes to raise awareness of those challenges farmers face, and tackle the stigma attached to poor mental health in the farming sector but recognise that there are steps being taken to address it.

The Charity behind the campaign say flooded fields, destroyed crops and animals in danger may just be the tip of the iceberg as the UK's farming industry has faced many challenges over the past few years, but the emerging mental health challenge may prove the "most devastating".

Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation said:

“Mind Your Head launched in 2018 when concerns about Brexit, policies, administration and legislation were causing increased anxiety in the industry. Fast forward seven years and the campaign has grown and is now recognised by 67% of farmers in the UK. Mental health is always a sensitive subject but it’s something that is thankfully growing in importance and profile. The answer to the question “who cares?” is everyone – and everyone should.

"Agriculture is a proud and hardworking industry and vital to the UK economy. Far from being downtrodden, the UK’s farmers are resilient and resourceful and committed to finding ways to tackle any challenge they face. Over the years we’ve been encouraged by the growing numbers of farm businesses and organisations wanting to learn more about how to help their workers and suppliers as well the incredible individuals taking steps to improve their mental wellbeing and, in this year’s campaign, we will be highlighting them and hopefully inspiring many more to do the same.”

You can find out more at the Yellow Wellies website.