Fuel that stoke

Module Overview

Farmstrong is getting behind this year’s ‘Cut The Bull’ campaign to reach a new generation of farmers and growers. Leading the charge is Jack Jensen of Spark That Chat.

Spark That Chat is a New Zealand-based mental health charity focused on encouraging open conversations and supporting wellbeing, particularly among young people. This year it’s teaming up with Farmstrong to scale up its ‘Cut The Bull’ mental health promotion campaign.

Jack says the concept behind the campaign is simple. “Doing whatever we can to spark as many chats and normalising the conversation around, hey, if you’re not feeling all good, just reach on out.”

The eight-week campaign kicked off at Kokopuru Station’s Hallmark Angus bull sale and continued at National Field Days. Farmstrong caught up with Jack for a chat en route.

Tell us about your farming background

I’m born and bred off a sheep and beef farm from down Middle Road in Hawkes Bay. I’m fourth generation in the farming space.

What do you enjoy about farm life?

I’ve always loved it and the older I’ve got, I appreciate it even more. For me nowadays, working away in the media and social media world, it’s a place where I can go and turn my phone off and just go and drench bulls with Dad or crutch sheep or fix a fence. It’s just such a grounding thing for me and it makes me appreciate we have a slice of paradise in Hawke’s Bay. Now I’ve got a son of my own who’s mucking in with us too. I’m very proud to be from rural New Zealand.

Farming’s not always plain sailing though, is it? It can be a demanding and isolating job at times.

Totally. That’s why the ‘Cut the Bull’ campaign is so important. I’m there to lend an ear and have a good yarn with people. It’s what rural people do. I think all farmers, no matter what generation, are good at leaning over that fence and going, hey mate, need a hand to fix this track or crutch sheep or whatnot. It shouldn’t be any different with our mental health. Understanding that everyone’s always got a shitload on and it’s ok to speak up and say, ‘hey bro, I need a yarn.’ Or ‘mate, you’re not looking too flash, what’s up?’

What’s the benefit of doing that?

My experience is that those conversations create friendships that you would never have tapped into unless you chose to lean across that post to spark that chat and find out what’s going on.

Why did you start Spark That Chat?

I got into the mental health space through the personal experience of losing three mates in three years to suicide. Losing my friends made me realise we’ve got a big issue here and it’s important to start normalising conversations about mental wellbeing and getting people to drop the mask and share their challenges, rather than bottling them up.

So, I decided to jump in and do something on the back of my brand MSFTS, a multimedia company that specialises in content production, extreme sports, events and clothing. One of our favourite sayings is ‘fuel your stoke’ – getting out amongst it and really spreading the froth and celebrating life. People find those ideas very relatable.

What are you hoping to achieve by turning up at the bull sale?

What we’re doing today is connecting with people in a way that’s completely real and authentic. Capturing those moments of connection on camera and having these open conversations when the time feels right about what’s going on in people’s lives and what they’re doing to get through the ups and downs and keep well. Nine times out of ten you’ll find something everyone can relate to whether you’re going through a tough time now or have been in the past. Sharing those stories is what brings people together and makes them feel supported.

Farmstrong is powering up your campaign this year. One of our messages is that just like you can go to a gym and get physically fitter you can learn skills to make you mentally stronger. What’s your take on that?

I think the two go hand-in-hand. When I’m physically training for my sports, I’m also mentally training. Keeping active is my anchor point. No matter how the day is going or what’s going on in my life, I can come back and be fully present and in the moment. That’s what I love about extreme sports – they empower your mind and enable it to do tough things, like jump out of a plane.

It’s the same with Spark That Chat – it empowers people to have these uncomfortable conversations. Our mind is the most incredibly powerful thing so it’s about showing it the respect and time to work on it, just like we work on our muscles. That’s what’s going to keep us in a good headspace and spread the froth!

Agriculture’s our number one industry. How can we help the new generation of farmers prepare for the demands of the job?

First, I just want to say like we’re super proud to be working alongside Farmstrong and to be fuelled by you guys, because that helps us to scale what we’re doing. I think the ripple effect of the social media we’re doing is massive. Last year’s campaign reached over 650,000 people and this year we’ve already reached 1.6 million with more to come. So, it’s a very effective way of connecting with future generation farmers and farm cadets, young farmers and people just getting started in the industry.

How are they responding to your message?

They are so there for it, they’re so keen for this information and they’ve been brought up in this social media world and they’re crying out for this type of connection.

What do you find works best for this new generation?

It’s about boiling down a very complex topic into a few key touch points they can actually go and do – for example, tapping into daily physical activity, sparking that chat and connecting with people or learning to slow down and recharge mentally, because as you know on farm there’s always another 50 jobs waiting to be done and everyone wants things done yesterday.

What’s your advice for anyone feeling tapped out?

I’m not always the best at it myself [laughs], but I’m learning you’ll got to be able to stop and have some form of release and just switch off from work. Hang out with the people who really matter in your life and fuel your soul with the good stuff that keeps you well. That’s what live well farm well means to me.

How does this work in practice?

Understanding that every single day there’s going to be good things in your life, but it’s up to you to tap into the simple things that can help you day by day, instead of getting snowballed under all the shit that constantly happens.

The negative stuff will still happen – whether it’s the trucks not running on time or bad weather on steroids – so it’s about breaking that cycle of negativity by jumping in there and taking action so you can mentally take the power back. When you’re working rurally, I think it’s important to take charge of your life and do the stuff that fuels your stoke no matter how busy life gets.

What about the big picture? What’s required to strengthen the mental health of our rural communities?

I think we’re all pieces of the same puzzle, so it’s about working together as much as possible, so people don’t fall through the cracks. That’s why it’s great to work alongside Farmstrong.

It’s also about getting out there like at today’s bull sale. Creating a space where people feel heard and seen by us doing what we do. We’re very much that connection point that people can trust and we can direct people to the Farmstrong tools and resources they can use to boost their wellbeing.

If you could sum up your work in a sentence, what would you say?

Good conversations with good people can be life-changing, so let’s fire them up and get amongst it.