New insight? 

Minette Batters has made history becoming the first female president of the National Farmers’ Union in its 110 year history.

Minette, who runs a mixed farm in Wiltshire, became the industry’s most senior national representative after taking over the role from retiring president Meurig Raymond, who has stood down after four years.

She runs a diversified business that includes a horse livery, pedigree beef cattle, sheep, a wedding and corporate events venue and a catering venture.

She built the business from nothing to over 300 head of livestock after securing a long-term farm business tenancy in 1998.

After getting involved with the NFU in her home county -as a way of driving change in the industry - she rose through the ranks and co-founded national campaigning initiatives like Ladies in Beef and the Great British Beef Week.

She says: “I’m thrilled to have been elected and I am so grateful to all the members who have given me the opportunity to lead our industry through Brexit and beyond.

“At the heart of the NFU is its members, and I would like the organisation to aim even higher on their behalf.

“British farming is in the spotlight like never before and this is a great opportunity to reposition the sector in the eyes of the nation.

“Together as a new officeholder team, we will hit the ground running and I look forward to sharing our new vision for farming at the earliest opportunity.”

Mind your head

A rural mental health charity has issued a shocking report that one UK farmer a week takes their own life.

At least one farmer in the UK takes their own life every week, according to shocking figures which have come to light as part of a rural mental health campaign urging farmers to take better care of their mental health.

The Farm Safety Foundation launched a week-long initiative to raise awareness of mental health in the farming community and encourage farmers who need support to seek it.

It claims levels of depression in the industry are increasing and highlights that suicide rates in farmers are among the highest in any occupational group.

The foundation warned that, in an industry with the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK, stress is often a key factor in many of the accidents, injuries and illnesses taking place on farms.

A spokeswoman explained: “Stress can come from many sources such as: financial pressures resulting from market fluctuations; livestock disease; or poor harvests - but concerns about Brexit, policies, administration and legislation can also take their toll.

“The situation is compounded by the fact that farming tends to be an innately conservative culture and some still perceive a stigma attached to mental health, hindering farmers’ willingness to seek help.”

The ‘Mind Your Head’ campaign aims to encourage farmers and farming families to put themselves first, ‘open up’ and get some help and advice on whatever concerns they have.

Northern Ireland farming charity Rural Support is among those getting involved.

Rural Support chief executive Jude McCann said: “Agriculture can be a very lonely industry. Farmers often work by themselves day in, day out and that can take its toll.

“Isolation, combined with the stress of farming business, can have a dangerous impact on a person’s health, so we want farmers to know that there is always someone to help and someone to talk to.

“At Rural Support, we offer help to farmers on a wide range of issues from: finance and debt; succession planning concerns; physical and mental health issues; farming paperwork; technical and enterprise issues.

“No issue is too big or too small for us to discuss and to help with.”

Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation added: “The pressures of farming aren’t going to disappear, so as a farmer you need resilience, smart strategies and specific skills to live well and farm well. The first step to improving your mental well-being can be as simple as talking to someone.”

Realisation

One day, it just clicks.. You realise what’s important and what isn’t. You learn to care less about what other people think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realise how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that they’d never recover. And then you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become.

Dear Lord

Every single evening as I’m lying here in bed,

This tiny little prayer keeps running through my head.

God bless all my family wherever they may be

Keep them warm and safe from harm, for they’re so close to me.

And God there is one more thing I wish that you could do,

Hope you don’t mind me asking, please bless my computer too.

Now I know that it’s unusual to bless the motherboard,

But listen just a second while I explain it to you, Lord.

You see that little metal box holds more than odds and ends,

Inside those small compartments rest so many of my friends.

I know so much about them by the kindness that they give,

And this little scrap of metal takes me to where they live.

By faith is how I know them, much the same as you,

We share in what life brings us and from that, friendships grew.

Please take an extra minute from your duties up above,

To bless those in my address book that’s filled with so much love.

Wherever else this prayer may reach to each and every friend

Bless each e-mail box and each person who hits send.

When you update your Heavenly list on your own CD-ROM,

Bless everyone who says this prayer sent up to GOD.com.

(contributed)

This won’t be long coming!

Caller: Is this Gordon’s Pizza?

Google: No sir, it’s Gordon’s Pizza.

C: I must have dialled a wrong number. Sorry.

G: No sir, Google bought Gordon’s Pizza last month.

C: OK. I would like to order a pizza.

G: Do you want your usual, sir?

C: My usual? You know me?

G: According to our Caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust.

C: OK! That’s what I want …

G: May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and olives on a whole wheat gluten free thin crust?

C: What? I detest vegetables.

G: Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

C: How the hell do you know?

G: Well, we cross-referenced your home ’phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last seven years.

C: Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetable pizza!  I already take medication for my cholesterol.

G: Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you only purchased a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once, at Drug RX Network, four months ago..

C: I bought more from another drugstore.

G: That doesn’t show on your credit card statement.

C: I paid in cash.

G: But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement.

C: I have other sources of cash.

G: That doesn’t show on your last tax return unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law.

C: What the hell?

G: I’m sorry, sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you.

C: Enough already! I’m sick to death of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Whats App and all the others. I’m going to an island without internet, cable TV, where there is no cell phone service and no one to watch me or spy on me.

G: I understand sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired six weeks ago…