In the world today, the pace is just one speed. Flat out! And while some of us struggle with getting up in the morning, others juggle a multitude of tasks with seemingly consummate ease.
Steph Schmidt is one of those people, managing to combine time as a psychologist while running a farm with her husband and coping with the usual never-ending stream of parental interactions involved in raising three young boys (although she notes it doesn't feel like it happens with ease from the inside).
She believes the work she does helps her to juggle everything successfully.
Her success with the 2020 SA Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award and the 2021 Safework SA Augusta Zadow Award has allowed her to leverage funding and help get new ideas off the ground.
“At the time, I could see a strong demand for psychology services, and we were simply unable to meet the demand. What I tried to build through the ACT for Ag programs were ways for people to manage stress before it gets to a crisis point. The in-person workshops – held either at a community or business level – are a proactive way to develop skills, and the online tools and resources provide an additional layer of support for the process.”
“The fact I live it, as well as talk about it, gives me a unique insight; however, sometimes, it is much easier to help out other people than put things into action. I often need to remind myself to walk the walk, stop and take my own medicine.”
While the program has been a strong focus, Steph’s interests have also been shaped by her enjoyment of the active farming side of things, with an increasing interest in championing rural women’s mental health.
“Rural women’s mental health is often invisible, and a lot of the challenges are the same that men face.”
To support the burden carried by women on farms, Steph used her experience with the ACT for AG program to build Navigate for Her which ran in 2023, a community for rural women. This community includes access to tools that help women stay on track, have healthy relationships and stay informed, reminded and connected with others.
As Steph navigates the juggle of farm, family and life herself, she knows all too well the challenge of needing to choose what she can and can’t do. Over the past few years she has found herself much more involved in the day to day operation of the farm, and realised that she also gets a lot of joy and satisfaction from driving the tractor, or shifting sheep - usually with her kids by her side.
“The tricky part for many farming women is the scale of farming operations is so much bigger, and often this weighs against other family and personal ventures - all equally important for individual wellbeing and growth.
“In agriculture, there is often no separation between farm work and home life. Everything is intertwined, and everyone works alongside each other to get the jobs done. Having that conversation around how mental health and our relationships can work in farming is something I’m keen to share.
“There are challenges, but also rewards and opportunities in the situation where you can live and work beside your husband actively and with your kids before they go back to school.”
Steph was also the driving force behind a five-week social media campaign held in October 2023. The “Change the Picture” campaign shared insights and snapshots of farmer mental health through the eyes of women involved in farming.
The objective was to highlight that farming is about more than just men, putting women in the spotlight and celebrating mental health as a continuum of positive and challenging aspects of rural life for men, women, relationships and families.
With ABARES now stating that women now make up 32% of agricultural workers – and with the figure likely to be much higher and growing – the contribution of Steph and other women like her to the growth and vitality of agriculture and rural Australia more generally should be acknowledged and embraced.
In the coming months, Steph plans to launch a podcast sharing stories and learnings from life on the land, to help others to effectively navigate both the challenges and joys of farming life.
