“What I did want to raise awareness of today is the partnership that we have with the Rural Support Trust and the really practical ways that they can assist.
“RST has a network of local rural people who, from their own farming experience and background, really understand the kind of pressures that mount up on farms.
“There’s no one size fits all when it comes to well-being and the RST knows the needs of farmers will be different from farmer to farmer, or family to family.
“And when you’re busy, from personal experience, we all know it’s really hard sometimes to find the time to reach out or access any help.
“So, the great thing about RST Services is that they’ll actually meet you in a place that suits you.
“It might be that they come out onto the farm to your home or maybe somewhere else in a private sort of arrangement,” Kells said.
Kelly asked what a farmer struggling with their mental health, or other issues like that, could expect from the Rural Support Trust.
“They basically just give the local trust a call on 0800 787 254 and they’ll connect you straight to a real support trust, facilitator,” Kells said.
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“These guys are trained to recognise signs of stress and can help you get the support that you need.
“Sometimes just talking through the options, sharing ideas, making some plans that you may not have thought of, really helps lift the weight off.
“They also hold regular community events, which can be a great chance to get off the farm and have some positive social interactions and we know that can be really hard when you’re busy, to think about finding the time.
“There’s a couple of events coming up that we’d love our farmers to know about, the first one is next week we’re starting with some ‘brunch on us’ events.
“They’re taking a place across the Waikato, Southland, Bay of Plenty and it is a great opportunity to get off the farm, have a quick bite to eat, catch up with friends and neighbours in the area,” Kells said.
Kelly asked if the Rural Support Trust only helped with mental well-being.
“I think a lot of people do associate the real support trust just with mental health and well-being,” Kells said.
“And although they do an amazing job in that area, there are a couple of other key areas that can really help farmers from a practical point of view.
“The first of that would be they have an offer of a farm business advice support fund and It’s funded by banks and the Government to support farmers and growers with business debt.
“So, for a qualifying farmer or grower, the fund will provide up to $6000 to pay for financial or business advice from an independent consultant and the other really practical assistance that RST can help you with is connecting you to the appropriate services for assistance with staffing or contract issues.
“And we all know that if our people resourcing issues aren’t working smoothly on-farm, it can cause so many knock-on effects throughout your business. So sometimes knowing where to start to work these out is half the battle.
“And finally, Rural Support Trust is still heavily involved with those that have been affected by recent adverse weather events and will continue to be available for any assistance with those really difficult situations.
“So, I’d really encourage any farmer just to head to the Rural Support Trust website, check out the resources that are available on there and then also our local Farm Source team, we’re there working alongside the RST team,” Kells said.
Rural Support Trust’s number is 0800 787 254
