Why neurodiversity and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand in farming

Farmers are notoriously good problem-solvers, creative thinkers and risk-takers.

A survey by Farmers Weekly suggests that entrepreneurialism could be driven in part by a prevalence of neurodiverse individuals in the sector. 

The survey found that the number of people with neurodivergent conditions in farming may be more than double the rate found in the general population.

See also: Neurodiversity in farming may be double rate of general public

Among those who identified as neurodivergent, 38% or respondents said entrepreneurialism was a strength that was helpful to them in agriculture.

Farming can offer greater flexibility to play to these strengths without the constraints of 9-5 work or the social pressures of a traditional office workplace.

The chance to work outdoors and with animals can help manage the risk of “overwhelm”.

This is when sensory processing differences can leave neurodivergent people feeling overloaded by multiple stimuli.

Other strengths listed in the survey read like a tick-list for an ideal entrepreneur.

75% identified problem solving, 65% said creativity, then there is big picture thinking, visual thinking, resilience under pressure, hyperfocus, pattern recognition and innovation.

Risk-taking is another common neurodivergent trait and in farming the stakes are even higher for farming entrepreneurs compared with those in other industries.

This is because many variables are impossible to control, such as the weather and commodity prices.

Where others might be put off, risk-takers may relish the challenge.

We asked four entrepreneurs how their neurodivergent traits have helped them establish and grow their businesses.

Ellen Firth, Frith Flock Flowers

Flower farmer and owner of rare-breed ducks Ellen Firth set up Firth Flock Flowers in 2022 when she was 18.

Her passion for agriculture began when she started milking cows on neighbours’ farms at the age of seven.

She was diagnosed with autism at 13 after experiencing extreme physical symptoms of burnout from the strain of masking her neurodivergence.

Farming helped through this period: “I found a passion and niche which made the rest of life bearable,” she says.

She gained a broad experience of dairy and sheep farming along with a diploma in agriculture and GCSEs, but despite enjoying academic subjects, she found it hard to focus on A-levels and left school.

By this time the family had moved to Wales and taken on a flock of Black Welsh Mountain sheep.

Sustainable business

Ellen wanted to create a sustainable business that would earn money from a small acreage.

Flowers were the answer – with wool and manure from the sheep used for fertiliser and her slug-eating ducks providing pest control.

She now has a thriving business, providing organically grown flowers for weddings and funerals, and workshops on growing and arranging.

Being self-employed allows her the flexibility to manage her energy levels and spend time outdoors to avoid burnout.

Coping strategies

Ellen was diagnosed with ADHD after leaving school and her toolkit of coping strategies includes a wall of Post-it Notes.

This helps her plan her time in a visual way and provides a dopamine hit when each task is completed.

This also helped when developing the business. “I had the vision but didn’t know how to get there.

“I wrote the problems down and put them on the wall in a logical order. It was like a roadmap.”

“I don’t think you’d be brave enough to do what I have done without AuDHD”, she says, and the “creativity that comes with having a slightly different brain make-up” has meant that creating bouquets and wedding displays comes naturally.

She finds the execution of a big project rewarding and thrives on pressure.

Her business has also helped her overcome social anxiety.

“I like making people’s flower dreams come true. It is a privilege to have people trust you on one of the biggest days of their lives,” she says. 

Her enthusiasm for British horticulture is palpable and she plans to expand by buying more land and growing the education side of the business.

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Jamie Stokes, Tithe Farm

Jamie Stokes took over the management of his family’s 1,000ha arable farm in Cambridgeshire after his grandfather and father stepped back during the Covid pandemic.

Since then, he has raised the farm’s productivity and improved the work-life balance for those on the farm by reducing the need for long working days.

Jamie’s neurodivergent traits have helped him to identify patterns and make the bold decisions that are not often made on similar-sized farms.

He was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia at school and ADHD at university.

Neurodivergent skills

Choosing not to take medication, he wanted to retain his neurodivergent skills: hyperfocus, the ability to process information quickly and excellent memory recall.

Among the improvements he has made are choice and mix of crops, staggered drill times, and the novel use of well-chosen machinery.

His keen pattern recognition and visual processing allow him to see what is wrong quickly and provide solutions.

The cumulative effect of his changes has meant the farm consistently benchmarks above the Cambridge Farm Business Survey’s 95th percentile for profitability.

Jamie’s work suits the way his brain works as he can mix things up in his working day.

He says: “My subconscious can become obtrusive when I do paperwork; it becomes hard to concentrate because it is firing ideas at me, wanting new input.

“I go and tinker in the yard to avoid feeling overwhelmed.”

Jamie is a Nuffield scholar and is travelling the world learning from smaller-scale farms.

His advice to other neurodivergent entrepreneurs is to focus on your skills.

“Find out what you are better at and use it to your advantage,” he says.

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Helen Wyman, Cultivate Success

Helen Wyman is the founder of Cultivate Success, a mentoring programme for people in agriculture and related industries.

She wants to build a supportive community where people can connect despite being in different parts of the sector.

It was while doing her Nuffield scholarship that the idea was born – and it was also when Helen identified she had ADHD.

She had been aware that her brain worked differently from others’ and being able to put a name to it has been empowering.

She has capitalised on her neurodivergent strengths and has embraced guilt-free delegation for tasks she finds difficult.

Hyperfocus

Born into a farming family, she has worked in many roles related to the sector but finds 9-5 office culture overwhelming.

Self-employment suits her as she has the flexibility to work longer when she is in hyperfocus and can acknowledge when some days would be better spent elsewhere.

“When I go into hyperfocus, I can do a week’s worth of work in a day,” she says.

She now also understands herself better, saying: “I like change, I enjoy risk and will say ‘let’s just do it’.”

Her problem-solving skills have proved useful as she tackles the issue of isolation in the sector.

It is proving to be popular, as 160 people have gone through the initial mentoring training just six months after the company’s launch, with more training events planned.

Helen intends to build on this to create a meaningful community that will improve the lives of members and the whole sector.

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Tom Warner, Warner’s Distillery

Gin producer Tom Warner has built a hugely successful business on his family farm in Northamptonshire.

Diagnosed with dyslexia at school, and more recently with ADHD, he recognises the neurodivergent traits that have contributed to his success.

Problem solving

“I see opportunity and solve problems at a macro level that can be intangible or not apparent to others,” he says.

“That’s a great trait for entrepreneurs as you have the ability to move quickly and capitalise on opportunities.”

Warner’s Distillery was launched in December 2012, just as the demand for small-batch artisanal gin was about to explode.

After spending six months brainstorming with his wife Tina on ways to diversify on the 140-acre farm, their idea to produce essential oils evolved into botanicals and gin.

Initially, the gin was made from spring water from the farm and elderflower from the hedgerows and other bought-in ingredients.

When competing in a booming market, Tom used creative problem-solving and inspiration from his late mother’s herb garden to make their gin stand out by growing all the ingredients on the farm.

His willingness to take risks led him into coffee-buying in Tanzania aged 20 and his selling skills were honed in produce, where the need for fast-paced problem-solving was “like catnip for ADHD”.

These and other traits have contributed to his success and he wishes there was more focus on the “superpower parts” of neurodivergence.