Taking Care of Yourself while Taking Care of the Farm – An Interview with Sophie Bell
As Embrace FARM launches a new support group for young farmers managing the farm while processing their own grief and loss after the death of a loved one, they are talking to other young farmers around taking care of yourself while taking care of the farm. We had the privilege of speaking to Sophie Bell to open the series.
Sophie Bell is a full-time farmer, full-time content creator, and a recent graduate of UCD with a Master’s degree in Agricultural Extension and Innovation. We were delighted to speak to Sophie around how she finds time to take care of herself when, like many farmers, have multiple avenues to balance.
Sophie farms alongside her parents on their family farm in Cavan. She spoke about how she’s always been interested in farming growing up, but the over the years the focus has changed. Taking on more responsibilities alongside her father came right after college ended and it was a reminder for her to look back and see the progress she and the farm business has made over the years.
Someone to turn to
Managing a farm is not easy, and can get overwhelming during busy season. The importance of being able to lean on others for an extra hand on the farm or when you need some support is huge. When asked who she turns to for support, she mentioned both her parents for different reasons. Her father for more practical support, “It’s just me and him for the farm and it does feel a little bit isolating at times when there is a high workload going on..”
When moments on the farm are stressful, you need someone to lean on that will understand what is going on, Sophie has that in her mother, “She’d be a good listener for any problems that might be happening…I think it’s so important to have someone who you can speak to, but also at the same time they can completely understand and give you good advice or just be there to support you with it. Sometimes it can be so hard to find the right person to speak with.”
The importance of community
During our conversation, we chatted about the importance of neighbours and those around you. Community can tend to look different now compared to years ago, but the intention is still the same. Sophie had mentioned that her parents remember the neighbouring farms helping each other out making hay. That might be something less common in modern day, but she finds community in other places. Reminiscing fondly on her ag science teacher who encouraged her passion for farming, “I think it was their advice and their motivation that led me down this path”, and the value of good friends when you need to get away, “I would plan somewhere to go with my friends or I would plan a tiny little social occasion with someone in my circle, and I think that really helps.”
Getting outside the farm
Throughout our conversation, Sophie spoke about the importance of time off the farm for not only her, but her parents too. As the darker months set in, the way you get outside the farm might change but the intention is still the same. She made a point to let everyone know that she is going to a yoga class once a week and everything can wait for that quick hour, “I can come back to whatever is needed to do afterwards, but that’s my hour to just enjoy”. It can be hard to step away from the farm when there is so much to do, but it’s important to recharge. Whether that is a fitness class or a holiday, it’s important to lean on those around you.
Feelings of isolation and comparison
Sophie spoke very honestly about feelings of comparison and the feeling that she “should” be doing more.
“When you look back, you’ve achieved so much and come so far. I think it’s important to somehow figure out how to just sit with that and be so proud rather than just always expecting the next thing to come along. Which is I think is hard to navigate that nowadays because you know, scrolling online it’s the first thing that comes up on our pages.”
Our smartphones are a great way of connection but can also be the cause of loneliness [source: Irish Times]. Making time with family, friends, neighbours, and community groups is a great way to get outside your head and back to connection. Sophie spoke about how life is “not a competition, I think we all have to remember that. And you know you can achieve all of the things that you want to achieve, but there’s no timeline and there’s no deadline either of when you should and shouldn’t be doing any of those things.”
The future for young farmers
“We have a lot to offer and we have a lot of knowledge and resilience. We’re so motivated and educated, but it is quite hard for us at the moment. There’s so much coming our way and battling that as well as more than likely the majority of young farmers working off farm full-time just to finance their life and their lifestyle and their future, it’s it’s tiring and it’s hard. That can lead to so much, such as burnout and mental fatigue, and I think we just need to be looked after in that sense and maybe some form of…support.”
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Thank you so much to Sophie Bell for chatting with us as part of our series Taking Care of Yourself while Taking Care of the Farm! You can find Sophie on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Interested in joining our support group?
We are looking for anyone who might be interested in or benefit from joining our young successors support group. As always, Embrace FARM are here for farm families only as you need or want us to be. Get in touch with us to find out more information, we’d love to chat with you!
