This article has been written by Mark Thomas, FCN’s Joint National Helpline Coordinator & Support Officer (South East).
Each day we engage with a wide range of people at FCN.
Some are lonely, others are frustrated, anxious, stressed, angry. Many are feeling overwhelmed. Some amaze us with their positivity and resilience and their desire to make a difference in society.
All of them humble us and remind us of the wonderful, rich community we are privileged to be a part of.
They are all unique in their reasons for contacting FCN but connected through their belonging to our diverse industry.
Through the life experience of our volunteers and staff, we do our best to help – as a sounding board, to consider options, offer hope and encouragement, shine a light on possibilities.
If you haven’t thought about it before, give us a try – we are here 16 hours each day on 03000 111 999, 7am to 11pm.
I mention the advertisement early here, because I am conscious that some people may have stopped reading at the word ‘diverse’ in paragraph four.
Because ‘diversity’ is getting a tough wrap at the moment. It’s being presented as a ‘red flag’ in some quarters. As something to fear. As a negative force.
But of course, diversity is crucial to farming and always has been.
Farms don’t survive without a diversity of enterprises, diversity in cropping, varieties, species, growing systems, ideas and thinking. Diversity is the base for regenerative farming and a successful team.
And farms have always been the domain of the diverse and colourful characters who enrich our communities and our lives – the extrovert farmer who is the slightly scary Chair of their local Parish Council; the exotically tattooed tractor driver who lives in a caravan ‘off grid’; the protein-filled prop forward who leaves a trail of bruised bodies on the rugby pitch each Saturday before downing seven pints of Guinness; the quiet farm worker who prefers the company of Friesians to people; the one who struggles to communicate, but will fix a Claas Lexion 8900 in the middle of harvest when no-one else can.
If, as an industry, we want to be sustainable, to enable businesses and individuals to thrive and achieve their potential, then recognising the power of diversity is a no-brainer.
So, this June, the month that celebrates Pride in diversity, reject the angry and misinformed rhetoric and embrace the power of difference.
After all, as a famous former Prime Minister of this country once said, “Diversity is the one thing we all have in common”.