We’re keeping our family healthy
The Sustainable Farm Families program and the National Centre for Farmer Health are part of the Helping Farm Families to secure their Futures action of the Future Farming Strategy.
Jeremy and Iona Levinson are featured in the Future Farming advertisement.
Jeremy and Iona are farmer/graziers who manage a 1400ha property, 60/40 cropping and grazing producing wheat, barley, canola, lupins, wool, prime lamb and wine. The family has farmed on their property for 29 years. They run the property with contractors and some part time employees.
“We attended the Sustainable Farm Families program held in our local area along with 16 other farm families” says Jeremy.
Since then Jeremy and Iona have experienced a considerable difference to the health and wellbeing of the whole family.
“We’re a lot more conscious of what we’re eating these days, of getting good breaks away from the farm and just generally focusing more on our wellbeing day to day.” The course has made them more aware of what they eat and drink. They now have more emphasis on reading food labels and generally having a balanced healthy diet. Growing more of their own veggies and trying to purchase more food from markets.
Also their awareness of personal health has increased with an increase in exercise and more regular check ups at their local GP.
The course was an eye opener in regard to mental health in country areas and has them far more aware that with pressures of every day farming, these can occur with out people even knowing. The course pushed the relaxation and family time plus holidays regularly which the family has been working on.
The issue of OHS was really a focus of the course as the farm accident rate is so high. This in turn has become a high priority on the farm with Jeremy making some significant changes already with things like chemicals and machinery and their specific uses.
Overall the family feels they have “more of a plan going forward.”
Sustainable Farm Families
This program offers workshops across Victoria that aim to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of people on the land. The program boosts farming families’ awareness of important issues such as good nutrition and dealing with depression.
The workshops are funded through the Future Farming Strategy across Victoria as an initiative of the Western District Health Service and are delivered in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries.
Also funded through the Future Farming Strategy, the National Centre for Farmer Health in Hamilton aims to improve the health and wellbeing of farm workers and their families.
View the Future Farming advertising campaign.
