In this episode of The Farmers Guide Podcast, machinery reporter Daniel Hodge and deputy editor Sarah Kidby explore one of the most important – and often hardest to talk about – issues in British agriculture: mental health.

They hear from Alex Phillimore, Head of Communications and Development at the Farming Community Network, who outlines the complex challenges farmers are facing – from isolation and financial strain to uncertainty about the future – and explains how FCN’s volunteers are helping people find a way forward.

Farmer Duncan Maclellan shares his powerful personal story of living with depression, his journey to recovery, and how speaking openly has become his way of helping others. Counsellor Sarah Worrall offers a professional perspective on the pressures of modern farming, why so many struggle to ask for help, and the importance of connection and conversation.

Finally, comedian and farmer Jim Smith joins the discussion to explain how his Keep Talking tour is using humour to bring rural communities together and remind people that it’s okay not to be okay.

Heartfelt, practical, and full of real-life insight, this episode shines a light on the realities of mental health in farming – and the growing network of people determined to make a difference.