Dairy farmer Jason Halford is sharing his lessons from burnout to help others avoid a similar fate. Photo / Farmstrong
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Dairy farmer Jason Halford didn’t realise he was suffering from burnout until it was too late.
Halford was 50/50 sharemilking in Hawke’s Bay a few years ago, when his focus on farming caused him to neglect his wellbeing.
“Typical farmer, really high standards,” he told The Country’s, Jamie Mackay.
“I couldn’t really step back and probably that led to some poor decisions [about] myself, letting my mental health kind of creep up on me.
“That’s definitely what burnout does – it creeps up on you and kind of kicks you in the arse.”
It took Halford a while to get better but he learned a few valuable lessons on the road to recovery.
Now he’s keen to share those lessons with other farmers, raising awareness on how to avoid burnout by getting behind Movember and working with Farmstrong.
Halford is still a busy man.
He’s currently the farm business manager at a Pamū property in Taupō, where he and his team run 7500 dairy cows.
However, this gave him the opportunity to put his wellbeing lessons into action and share them with his staff, he said.
Scheduled some time off to rest and recover - don’t work 14 hours a day
Halford was the first to admit this was a “massive challenge” on a dairy farm but it can be achieved,
“I see it time and time again where we say, ‘I’m better off if I just kind of keep going and get through.’ Well, in actual fact you’re not.
“For your farm and your people you need to be able to schedule some time off.”
Taking time out was also a great way to show confidence in the team by giving them extra responsibility, he said.
“Just trust your people – and that’s what I think the fun piece is – just … get your team and coach them through the opportunities they have in front of them.
“You’ve got to give them the chance to show that they can do it – so, let them be in charge.”
Look after the basics – eating
Sometimes the simplest lessons were the easiest to forget, Halford said.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re eating - and eating well - you’ve got to eat three meals a day, as hard as it sounds.
“[Don’t] just be on the old energy drinks to try and get you through because long-term they’re going to kick you in the arse as well.”
Do something that “recharges your batteries”
This can mean taking time out to do something enjoyable, for Halford, it’s all about exercise.
Again he understood that for farmers, exercise could feel like a chore rather than a treat.
“As farmers, we’re physically out there doing it and sometimes you’re like – I just want a break when I get home – but it’s setting yourself a challenge.”
Working out with friends was a great way to keep motivated, he said.
“Getting in with some mates and going ‘hey, why don’t we do this run, or this walk?’ or something along those lines, that gets you away from the farm and actually have the group challenge you to do that.”
Ask the “hard question”
Although he “definitely hasn’t conquered” staff management, Halsted’s said his wellbeing lessons had helped him understand his team better.
“It’s about knowing who your people are and who works for you … that’s how you start digging into if someone’s not [feeling] right.”
Ironically sometimes the simplest question could be the toughest to ask, he said.
“Spend some quality time talking to them and ask the hard question – how are you going?
“Don’t be scared to ask that question.”
Sir John Key, Don Carson, Stu Duncan, Stu Loe, Jim Hopkins, Jeremy Rookes.