Alum’s Nonprofit Combats the Mental Health Crisis in Rural U.S. — Cornellians
After a family tragedy, veteran dairy farmer Jeff Winton ’80 founded Rural Minds in the hope of helping others
By Lindsay Lennon
Having grown up on his family’s dairy operation on the banks of Lake Erie in Chautauqua County, NY, Jeff Winton ’80 is acutely familiar with the plight of the American farmer.
The isolation. The unpredictability of climate. The misconception that farm life is carefree and relaxing, when in reality it’s demanding and often backbreaking work.
And, especially, the ingrained belief that farmers should be able to solve their own problems—even when it comes to internal struggles, which they seldom admit out loud.
As evidenced by the tragic fact that suicide rates in rural America are a staggering 64–68% higher than those in large urban areas, it’s a thought pattern that all too often turns deadly.