Good News for the countryside: Farming in an uncertain world

​Life on a farm often looks peaceful from the outside, but anyone who has spent time around livestock or machinery knows it can suddenly become chaotic. So many things can go wrong simultaneously.

An example we faced recently was when the automatic scrapers stopped working and a cow decided to wedge herself under a cubicle. It was a mystery how she got into such a position, and was only rescued by cutting the cubicle, which released her. We then had to weld the cubicle back together, with the added chore of frequently scraping out the cubicle house, which proved very time consuming until the scraper part arrived.

Farming has always required resilience. The pressures on rural communities seem more challenging each year and not all problems are solved as positively as the ones above. We can face bereavement, financial pressure, and family stresses… the list is endless. So often things just don’t work out the way we hoped or expected.

Statistics regarding feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression in farming are alarming. A 2023 Rural Support survey found 67% of farmers suffer below average mental wellbeing, with 26% in the mild-to-clinical depression range mostly driven by isolation and financial worries.

Rural Support and PCI’s Rural Chaplain are available to receive your call and would be willing to lend a listening ear (contact details below). It is important to remember that you are not a bother or a burden. It is also imperative that we, as a farming community, seek to look out for one another and provide support whenever we can. A phone call to a neighbour may save a life.

The Bible reminds us that land is not ultimately ours. The first verse of Psalm 24 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” That truth can feel both humbling and comforting, as we are stewards, not owners; caretakers, not controllers. So, when challenges come, we are reminded, sometimes painfully, that we were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.

As we navigate an uncertain world, farmers, and all who depend on us, can anchor themselves in God’s unchanging character. As we farm in a fallen sinful world, God’s faithfulness doesn’t change and His promises remain certain.

In Romans 8:22 we read of how “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” We hear those groans more clearly than most and yet we also witness signs of renewal - new shoots after a harsh winter, unexpected abundance where there was once scarcity. These glimpses of resurrection remind us that God is not finished with His world.

If we follow Jesus, He will walk the fields with us and understand the long nights, the financial pressures, the aching backs, and the silent prayers whispered in the midst of turmoil. And in His perfect timing, He will grant us everlasting life when our time on earth is over.

In John 11:25-26 Jesus said “‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”’ Even in uncertainty, the farmer’s work can become an act of worship, a daily offering that says, “Lord, I will do my part, and I trust You with the rest.”

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Charlotte Stevenson farms with her husband, Jim and son, James, near Kilkeel in County Down. She is a member of Mourne Presbyterian.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, you can call Rural Support on 028 8676 0040.

You can also email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.