A SOMERSET young farmer has been named Britain’s Fittest Farmer 2020.
Cattle Farmer James Arney from Rode, near Frome, and Emma Ashley from Hertford were crowned male and female champion of the Farmer’s Weekly competition.
The pair had to take part in a series of demanding challenges designed to test their physical fitness and mental health awareness, and they triumphed at the final on Saturday, October 17.
Mr Arney said: “It’s a great achievement – I came here to win it, and thankfully I did.
“For me, exercise is a great way to left some steam off and is good for my mental health.
"Exercise is a great way to get off the farm, certainly during lockdown. I would go for a run for half an hour and forget about everything, and then I could come back and do some more work.
"It gives me a goal to keep improving. I'm quite a worrier and I know that if stuff on the farm isn't going well, I can go to the gym, I'll think about things and refocus. Problems don't seem so bad if you take a step back."
The pair won £1,000 and the title of Britain’s Fittest Farmer 2020.
Having completed an online application, the pair had to compete in a qualifier event consisting of four tough physical challenges and an interview with the judges focusing on mental health.
This interview round focused on the finalists’ awareness of mental health issues and their ideas on how to address the problems faced by those working in the agricultural industry.
The final was held on Saturday, 17 October at an adrenaline-fueled event co-hosted by Farm Fitness, an extreme farming-inspired outdoor gym run by farmer's son Tom Kemp at his family farm in Essex.
Lead judge and Farmers Weekly’s Community Editor Oli Hill says: “Our winners James and Emma are truly inspirational ambassadors for health and wellbeing in agriculture.
“They have spoken candidly about their own mental health, have taken steps to improve their own situations and help others. They are both also incredibly fit physically, topping up their natural farming strength and agility with homemade gyms on their family farms.
“It is now more important than ever for our farmers to be talking openly about their mental health. Coronavirus, Brexit and the dire weather are all massive pressures on our farmers as they work tirelessly to produce world-class food to feed the nation.
“This competition was designed to be a fun, upbeat way of getting the nation’s farmers to be more proactive about their health – mental and physical.
“Conversation is the key to removing stigma and breaking down barriers to getting help whenever they’re struggling to do one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world.”
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