A new podcast has launched to help farmers who may be struggling, or at risk of struggling with mental health issues.

Keeping on Track is a farmer’s wellbeing podcast created by Team Doctor in collaboration with Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson. The podcast launched on all major streaming platforms on Monday 2nd October 2023, and seeks to explore the different mental health challenges that many farmers are facing but aren’t often talked about. The aim of the podcast is to encourage more communication within the farming sector so people don’t have to suffer in silence and can receive support before it’s too late.

A shocking 92% of UK farmers under the age of 40 rank poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today, a recent study by the Farm Safety Foundation has revealed (an increase from 82% in 2018). It has been shown that farmers have higher levels of mental ill-health than non-farmers, and research conducted by RABI in 2021 found that 1 in 3 farming people were possibly or probably depressed.

Having lost a close friend who died by suicide and learning about the troubling statistics around mental health issues in the farming community, Adam was compelled to work with a professional production team to create a series of podcasts to hopefully help alleviate some of the problems faced and provide resources to the community.

Adam commented: “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 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.

A variety of resources and ideas of where to turn for help are explored in the podcast series and can also be found at www.teamdoctor.org/charities.

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