Blether Together with Farmstrong Scotland

Host Sarah Stephen caught up with Iona Murray; one half of Fed by Farmers and no stranger to podcasting, she’s on the other side of the interview this time, answering the questions instead of asking them! Iona tells us about her career, which spans being a school teacher, going to work at Dumfries House, working with Cammy Wilson at The Sheep Game, and now adding starting her own business I'M Wellness to her list of achievements, where she is a holistic health and wellness practitioner. Iona also discusses going through a tough time during the covid pandemic and the good habits she picked up as a result of coming through it.Farmstrong Scotland is an initiative to help farmers, crofters and their families to cope with the ups and downs of farming and crofting by sharing things they can do to look after themselves and the people in their business. It is a peer-to-peer led programme, driven by scientific information and real-life stories, so together we can share, learn and support our wellbeing - visit the website to find out more.Follow us on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or subscribe to our Spotify Playlist including hundreds of tunes, recommended by farmers and crofters across Scoland. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, talk to someone. Contact your doctor, RSABI’s (24-hours) helpline: 0808 123 4555, Breathing Space: 0800 838 587 or Samaritans (24-hours): 116 123

Host Sarah Stephen talks with Cora Cooper on her journey from law graduate to partner in a farming business in Muirkirk, Ayr. Working as a team with her husband and three young children, Cora discusses their farming system of 3,500 hill ewes on over 5,000 acres of hill ground, and their passion for delivering for both nature and food production.Cora and David have built their business around their family, and Cora talks about the priorities, the challenges to get where they are and the wellbeing routine that she has implemented to make her day a bit less hectic.Supported by NFU Scotland The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.IMAGE CREDIT: SOMERVILLE CAPTURESFarmstrong Scotland is an initiative to help farmers, crofters and their families to cope with the ups and downs of farming and crofting by sharing things they can do to look after themselves and the people in their business. It is a peer-to-peer led programme, driven by scientific information and real-life stories, so together we can share, learn and support our wellbeing - visit the website to find out more.Follow us on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or subscribe to our Spotify Playlist including hundreds of tunes, recommended by farmers and crofters across Scoland. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, talk to someone. Contact your doctor, RSABI’s (24-hours) helpline: 0808 123 4555, Breathing Space: 0800 838 587 or Samaritans (24-hours): 116 123

Listen in to the recording of our first webinar in the new series, Give Wellbeing a Sporting Chance, with Sam Whitelock.Farmstrong Chairman John Scott welcomes Sam Whitelock, farmer and New Zealand rugby player.As well as giving some insights to his impressive rugby career, Sam also gives an open and honest account of life on the farm and in particular the challenges the family faced when they suffered an outbreak of Salmonella. He speaks about how this affected both their business and wellbeing, and how it led to him getting involved in Farmstrong in New Zealand. Sam gives some interesting and useful advice on the wellbeing steps he integrated to manage the high pressure of leading the New Zealand rugby team, managing sport and the farm, and the importance of taking time to appreciate what you have around you. There were some great questions, so be sure to listen to the end and you can hear who Sam names as the hardest rugby player he’s ever played against!Farmstrong Scotland is an initiative to help farmers, crofters and their families to cope with the ups and downs of farming and crofting by sharing things they can do to look after themselves and the people in their business. It is a peer-to-peer led programme, driven by scientific information and real-life stories, so together we can share, learn and support our wellbeing - visit the website to find out more.Follow us on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or subscribe to our Spotify Playlist including hundreds of tunes, recommended by farmers and crofters across Scoland. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, talk to someone. Contact your doctor, RSABI’s (24-hours) helpline: 0808 123 4555, Breathing Space: 0800 838 587 or Samaritans (24-hours): 116 123

Scottish rugby player Stafford McDowall has thrown his not insignificant 6ft 4 inches might behind Farmstrong Scotland, and talks with host, Sarah Stephen, on the succession planning that's underway for his farming future.Stafford had his name down to study agriculture at Newcastle University as an 18-year-old, but he deferred the place while he tried to break into the professional rugby ranks, juggling training sessions with farm jobs. Of course, with luck on his side, that won’t be for a long while yet. After all, Stafford is still only 26 and is playing the best rugby of his life as a back in the Glasgow Warriors squad and in the Scotland team.Listen in to this interesting half-hour on the ins and outs of professional rugby and how Stafford is preparing himself for one day, returning to the family farm....Farmstrong Scotland is an initiative to help farmers, crofters and their families to cope with the ups and downs of farming and crofting by sharing things they can do to look after themselves and the people in their business. It is a peer-to-peer led programme, driven by scientific information and real-life stories, so together we can share, learn and support our wellbeing - visit the website to find out more.Follow us on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or subscribe to our Spotify Playlist including hundreds of tunes, recommended by farmers and crofters across Scoland. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, talk to someone. Contact your doctor, RSABI’s (24-hours) helpline: 0808 123 4555, Breathing Space: 0800 838 587 or Samaritans (24-hours): 116 123