MAKING FARMING WORK WITH A DISABILITY

In the last edition of Student Farmer, Charlie Kifford told us about entering the farming industry while living with cerebral palsy. This time, Joss Naylor, who also lives with cerebral palsy, explains how life has been for him growing up on a farm.

In his own words

COVER STORY

John Cottle

Cabin fever on a 5,000-acre hill farm takes some explaining. I’m Joss and I’ve just turned 15, and I live with a brain injury called cerebral palsy (CP).

My CP mainly affects my ability to walk, although I do have other issues. I didn’t walk at all until I was three-anda-half years old, after having Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy in St. Louis, America. The operation involved having roughly one third of my nerves in my spinal cord surgically cut. This is an operation that carries considerable risk, and has taken the past decade to rehabilitate from. The rehabilitation has been constant throughout my life.

The other challenge of this operation was getting my dad into a position that he was able to leave the farm. There is never a good time to leave such a large responsibility behind and to place it in the hands of others.

Farming with CP Practically, I am limited on the farm. I walk around fields but I’m not allowed to walk in the ones containing cows. I may not be able to physically do things like wrestle a sheep out of a bog, but my eyes work well and so does my mouth – when I observe things (such as holes in the fence where sheep may escape), I am able to report back.

On the farm there is me, my mum, my dad, and we have one full-time member of staff as well as several seasonal contractors and part-time staff that come in at busy times or fulfil specific roles, such as the farm secretary. Other than that, the only visitors are vets and the occasional sales representative for feeds or fertiliser. I personally have a small flock of Jacob sheep, and I also breed cats.

I frequently have to look for different ways to be involved. As a result, many of the more technical aspects, or jobs that cater to my skillset, often fall to me. My dad isn’t exactly Bill Gates when it comes to computers. As a result, I often have to read and dictate what the catalogues for upcoming sales are, including entries and reports. In addition, I prepare the VAT for the accountant and help Dad with online banking, invoicing and emails. My mum is particularly keen for me to have real responsibilities around the farm even if they are not in the most physical capacity, although the ability to open and close a gate properly appears to have passed the general public by. The things I wish I was more able at would be that when my dad is struggling physically and just needs an extra pair of hands. I wish I could be more practical and be able to help him. I wish that when I could see an animal in distress (quite often trapped in a fence or bog) that I was able to help it instead of merely calling for help. Finally, I wish I was able to traverse the moor and other rough ground easier, to be able to see the things that I cannot, and to give me (and my parents) peace of mind that I’d be ok in physically demanding situations.

Off-farm life CP affects me in many different ways. Chiefly, it’s quite time consuming, as things (especially involving fine motor skills or mobility) either take a long time or I have to factor in my physio, but there are definitely some positives to having CP. Academically, my brain injury is an

“Some farmers may find it hard to understand your disability, but if you get better at explaining your limitations and who you are, then most people can work around you”

advantage, as subconsciously, my brain has had to resolve basic things (like swallowing) in a much more complex way from the beginning of my life, than in a person without CP. Therefore, my brain, if you think of it like a muscle, has been working much harder on my physical shortcomings, which has made it difficult in some areas but has been an advantage in others; my brain has been learning to learn complex information from much earlier than an ‘average’ person, making my educational life very easy. I am an A* student in all of my subjects, except the obvious: PE.

I was 12 when I wrote an essay assessing the arguments for and against lab-grown meat, and I was the runner up in the Frederick Walker Essay Prize at Manchester Grammar. It was widely shared on Facebook through the British Farming Forum.

Off the farm, I play football (mainly at school, although I’m obviously not on the first team). I also enjoy horse riding, although my circulation is rubbish, making it hard to ride in the winter.

My personal ambitions are to finish my GCSEs and A-Levels to the same standard that I have been working at. I’d like to go to Cambridge to read Economics or Land Economics, as I’m interested in business and the links that agriculture has with the wider economy and the world. It takes a variety of skills Confidence and variety of skills are very important on a farm, and therefore, everyone has something to offer, whether it be computer or office based, bottling a lamb in spring, or using machinery. Some farmers may find it hard to understand your disability, but if you get better at explaining your limitations and who you are, then most people can work around you.

Regulation is now a larger part of farming than it used to be, whether that be through movement of animals, medicine records or financial costs. Keeping track of everything is now more data and technology orientated (farmers are notoriously bad at this part). It might not be the hands-on role that you’re wanting, but when it comes to dealing with animals, there’s not a lot that can be done with them, as they are unpredictable and difficult to control for even the most agile of farmers.

However, most modern farm machinery could be operated remotely or by anyone. The thing that is difficult (for me at least) about tractor or machinery driving is getting in and out, but operation is fairly simple with practice. I haven’t even attempted to get in a Bobcat, my legs won’t go there!

I’d like to continue to keep my sheep and will always want to be involved in farming in some form, although it probably will not be my main career. I’d like to do something, although I’m not sure what, to modernise farming going forward and to assist it, as agriculture is the basis of the global economy. I’m looking forward to my future and being able to change farming for the better.

ABOVE: Joss and his mum Nicola