Adam Henson launches second season of his farmer well-being podcast
30th July 2024
Adam Henson’s farmer wellbeing podcast, which launched last year, has been followed by the second series.
Having lost a close friend who died by suicide and learning about the troubling statistics around mental health issues in the farming community, in October 2023 Adam Henson created the Keeping on Track farmer’s wellbeing podcast series, in collaboration with health and prevention specialists, The Sound Doctor.
The farmer and celebrity said that the feedback from the farming community has been so positive, that the podcast has been followed up by a second series.
A recent study by the Farm Safety Foundation has revealed that 92% of UK farmers under the age of 40 rank poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today. This marks an increase from 82% in 2018.
A study conducted by RABI has also shown that farmers have higher levels of mental ill-health than non- farmers. In 2021, it was found that one in three farming people were possibly or probably depressed.
Saving farmers’ lives
Mr Henson said: “I have lived on a farm and been involved in farming all my life. As anyone working in farming knows, every day brings potential joy and disaster, you never quite know what is going to happen, and there are many things you can’t control.
“This is one of the reasons for the high suicide rate within the farming sector.”
The farmer added that the aim of the series is to encourage more communication within the farming sector so people do not have to suffer in silence and can receive support before it is too late.
Mr Henson added: “I was at an event recently, and a lady came up to me and said ‘You saved my husband’s life’.
“When quizzed, she explained that he’s a farm a manager and had been in a very dark place mentally, but the podcast series has given him a huge lift and helped him seek support.
“We hugged and both shed a tear. I thought to myself that if we’ve helped just one person, then it’s a job well done.“
Alison Lumley of Yorkshire Samaritans said: “At Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Rural Support Network AGM, interest was piqued by feedback from a farming-focused psychiatrist who gave a case history concerning a farmer struggling to cope but refusing to accept that he was struggling, which was resulting in an adverse impact on the whole family and the business.
“She sat down with the farmer and asked him to listen to some of the Keeping on Track podcasts with her.
“The podcasts, delivered by people who ‘spoke the farmer’s language’, had similar experiences and who had struggled in the same way, helped him realise that he wasn’t alone and that there was no shame in asking for help.
“Her view was that the podcasts had made the difference, and she felt that the farmer and his family had got over a big hurdle to recovery.”
What to expect from season two
The second series of Keeping on Track launched last week to coincide with Farm Safety Week.
The listeners will able to hear from some inspirational farmers, including Becca Wilson, a fifth-generation farmer and half of the Becca and Lizzie podcast duo, sheep farmer Tilly Abbott, Stuart Roberts who is the former deputy president of the NFU and current chair of the Liberal Democrats’ newly formed Food and Farming Working Group, writing the party’s new farming policies.
Willem Kuyken, professor of mindfulness and psychological science at Oxford University and author of Mindfulness for Life, provides strategies and coping mechanisms for stressed farmers.
Mr Henson will also talk to Mike Duxbury, who is a pig farmer, a champion of inclusivity, and the creator of a fully working farm for disabled people. He is, he thinks, Britain’s only blind farmer.
The podcast host will look at some of the pressing issues facing farmers currently, including farm safety, rural crime, the effect of public image on the farming community, and the mental stress of inspections and how to reduce that stress.
Mr Henson will also look at how a farmer’s diet can be fundamental to staying healthy and having good mental health.
What have you missed from season one
The first series of Keeping on Track features 10 twenty-minute episodes, with guests exploring several different themes, including loneliness, financial worries, sleep and mindfulness.
The series features spokespeople from farming charities such as YANA and RABI, as well as experts in farmer wellbeing and mental health specialists, alongside farming influencers and campaigners such as Ally Hunter Blair and Mike Wilkins.
Keeping on Track podcast launched on w/c 22nd July 2024. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts from.
A variety of resources and ideas of where to turn for help are explored in the podcast series and can also be found here.
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