PENNSYLVANIA — Farmers spend a lot of time managing their equipment, their animals and their crops, but there’s one area they need to pay more attention to: their mental health.

Jeff Winton is the founder and chairman of Rural Minds, a nonprofit based in Mayville, NY that aims to combat the staggering rates of suicide and depression that plague the agricultural community nationwide. As a farmer himself, Winton knows that rural communities would rather hear advice from one of their own.

Rural Minds Founder & Chairman Jeff Winton was recently interviewed by Farm Broadcaster Lorrie Boyer.

Rural Americans are some of the most tenacious and giving individuals on the planet. While many of us identify as farmers and ranchers on a level far exceeding that of many “normal” careers, that devotion can come at a mental cost when managing the challenges associated with feeding the world.