Joe Meggetto farms in Warragul, where he purchased his farm in 1991, before combining with his father, down the road in 1994. And for the last 26 years worked alongside his father Mario until his sudden death last year. Throughout those years he has taken every opportunity as it presented to purchase land and expand the business, working with the very simple farming philosophy, to make milk as cheaply as possible concentrating on animal welfare, soil health and the environment and waiting to upgrade infrastructure, to do it right the first time.

But he hasn’t always loved dairy, and in this chat he openly shares how he would regularly cry in the tractor and quietly struggled for a long time, at one point carrying a bullet around in his pocket. So just a heads up, he does openly share his thoughts of suicide and the struggles he has had with his mental health. But also shares his new passion for talking to and helping other farmers with their struggles and the positive change to his mental health since talking to his GP and openly sharing his journey in the inaugural Gippsland Jersey, Mental Health Calendar in 2018.

It’s a bit of a long chat, but so worth it and I feel incredibly privileged to bring it to and would encourage you, if you are struggling with your mental health, to chat with someone you trust, seek help from a GP or a mental health professional and get some help. Joe also gives some really great practical tips throughout the chat

In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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