Suffolk farmer Dan Goodwin was in his early 20s and just starting out when he was plunged into a world of pain and anguish after suffering a mental breakdown.

It was a devastating blow for a young man who had been full of hope after choosing to work in agriculture.

"It was like a bomb going off in my brain. Everything just exploded. I thought: 'What's happening here? I need help," he recalls.

The loneliness and isolation of the job - and less consciousness within the industry about the signs to look out for - all contributed. That was in August 2019.

With the help of friends and supporters Dan pulled through, but still feels that more should be done to raise awareness of mental health issues in the sector.

The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) launched its annual Mind Your Head  campaign this week against a backdrop of 36 suicides registered in the agricultural industry in England and Wales in 2021.

The industry continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK. As well as the shocking suicide toll, a further 22 farm workers lost their lives in fatal farm incidents in 2021/22.

"I don't want anyone to go through what I have gone through," says Dan, who is now aged 25 and thriving.

Following his breakdown, he worked for a while at a pub, and the social aspect of the job was very helpful, he says.

But he still wanted to go back into farming and got the chance in 2021-22 when a role opened up at Wantisden Hall Farms near Woodbridge, which is owned by the Kemball family.

"I was so grateful," he says. "They supported me and it was fantastic."

The farm boss was Tim Pratt "a lovely guy", and although he was initially worried about whether he was doing the right thing, he soon settled in.

"It was a fantastic place to work," he says. "They understood more about mental health than my other employments. The awareness is 10 times higher than it was in 2019."

From there he worked for a while on a turf farm at Feltwell Fens in Norfolk. He has just returned from Australia after spending three months helping to bring in the grain harvest on a huge 150,000 acre farm.

"I just went for it," he says of his Australian adventure. "I was a chaser bin just taking the grain away and putting it in the trucks. It was fantastic - the best time of my life. That was a big step for me."

It could also be very stressful, Dan admits, but he has mastered techniques to help him cope when he is having a bad day.

Being around horses is a great de-stresser for him, he says, and he is lucky to have a number of people around Woodbridge who have helped him with that.

He believes major strides are being made across Suffolk and the region to address UK farming's appalling mental health record.

Since returning from Australia, he was been helping the Farm Safety Foundation to get across its Mind Your Head message across as a Yellow Wellies ambassador.

He speaks to youngsters in training to be farmers about his experience. "I feel they will come into agriculture with a very strong knowledge of mental health which is fantastic," he says. 

He hopes that efforts throughout the industry will continue to bear fruit but recognises there is still a stigma attached to mental health issues in the farming community.

"There always will be - everyone thinks we are the hardy people who think we can get through everything," he says.

But the experience of his breakdown was a "massive life lesson", he says. 

"Very little puts me off now after my experience. I like to show a lot of people I can do pretty much anything. Nothing should ever stop you doing anything."

For more information on the Mind Your Head campaign visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow it on social media - @yellowwelliesUK on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #MindYourHead