Sally Conner joined the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) charity as North East regional manager in 2007 and has seen many changes within the organisation over the years.

Mrs Conner covers North East England and while her job title has stayed the same, she now also represents nine managers across England and Wales. She reflects on the organisation’s growth during her involvement.

“RABI was a relatively small organisation back in 2007, mainly comprising a fundraising committee in each county and a welfare department, which was focused on providing financial support to farmers in need,” she says.

“While the original work continues, a 2020 review of our services prompted a new, wider-ranging strategy. Its conclusions were reinforced following a 2021 survey, when it became even more clear that mental health was a serious concern in the farming community and we set out to try and address the issue. It is likely that the Covid-19 outbreak had a negative influence on mental health and wellbeing in the farming community and beyond.”

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Some 36 per cent of survey respondents stated that they believed that they were possibly, or probably, suffering from depression. Meanwhile, 58 per cent reported that they were experiencing mild or moderate anxiety and almost half were worried that their farms might become unviable within the next decade.

RABI mental health support is offered to people with direct links to farming, including family members and farm workers. Nevertheless, training is provided to allied industry representatives.

“People, including vets, feed merchants, nutritionists and agronomists, for example, are a point of contact with farmers,” she says. “They are offered mental health first aid training to help them to deal with any difficult conversations that might arise.

“Service users are directed to a range of mental health services manned by trained professionals. These can be provided via face-to-face contact, or telephone or video calls.”

Another issue that was identified was the decline in opportunities for farmers to socialise, particularly because of the dwindling number of auction marts and the move to deadweight selling for some producers. It has resulted in the launch of a monthly gathering, where farmers and their families can get together in a relaxed atmosphere, with snacks and drinks provided through sponsorship.

A couple of social meetings have already been held in East Yorkshire and these have been well attended. It is hoped that a similar series of events will be rolled out in other parts of the region. Another RABI service is the ‘Return to School’ grant, which provides £200 for children’s uniforms and other requirements after the end of the summer holidays.

A typical week might involve the organisation of volunteer conferences and the awards programme, while the summer season is filled with attendance at agricultural shows to publicise RABI’s charity work. She lives just a few miles away from the East Yorkshire farm where she grew up and, on leaving school, she worked as a medical secretary until she spotted the advertisement for the RABI position.

“My brother still lives on the family farm, where he has an arable rotation and a feed merchant business,” explains Mrs Conner, who is a past winner of Driffield Agricultural Society’s ‘RH Mountfield’ award. “After marriage, I moved to our tenanted unit, where 11,000 pigs are reared each year on contract. They arrive at about 7kgs and leave when they reach store weight. The arable land is managed on a contract arrangement.

“As a family, we have had first-hand experience of volatility in the marketplace, and this year’s poor harvest is expected to lead to a rise in straw prices. It is likely to have a significant effect on our farm profitability and I can be totally sincere when I tell clients that I understand how they are feeling.”

Mrs Conner and her husband, Mark have three children, as well as several grandchildren. Helped by their son, Sam, who works on the farm, they launched ‘Mayflower Meadow’ glamping pods on the site two years ago.

“One of the biggest concerns in farming is future uncertainty within the industry. Inputs and the general cost of living have gone up, but there has been little or no improvement in farmgate returns. In this type of backdrop, it is not easy to manage the business to allow for investment in the farm enterprises and RABI is here to help,” says Mrs Conner.

RABI was founded in 1860 by John Mechi, an Essex farmer and the son of an Italian businessman. His concerns about poverty in the farming community led to the development of the organisation, but ironically he himself later encountered financial difficulties. He died in 1880, before he could benefit from donations by local farmers worth about £5,000. In 2001, RABI responded to the challenges faced by farmers during the foot-and-mouth crisis by donating approximately £9m to help several thousand struggling farming families.

For more details, call the RABI helpline on 0800 1884444 or email help@rabi.org.uk.