NATHAN LAWSON, Farmer and Rural Mental Health Advocate
Nathan Lawson began farming in central Kentucky in 2005. Nathan, his wife Wanda and three children live in Bloomfield, KY, just down the road from the city of Louisville. While farming, Mr. Lawson has served as a student minister and has been very involved in Kentucky’s agriculture community, serving in leadership roles for the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association and Beef Council. In 2019 he joined a team of Kentucky Agriculture leaders as part of a round-table charged with the task of raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention in Kentucky communities. Mr. Lawson has participated in the national QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) leadership curriculum. QPR is designed to train participants to identify, address and equip others in recognizing the signs of mental distress and potential suicide in their communities. He is passionate about agriculture and sharing the story of farm life in rural America. He believes our greatest challenge in agriculture and rural life is connecting our increasingly disconnected consumers to the realities of farm life for our food and fiber producing families.