The founder of a group called Rural Minds says that the death of his 28-year-old nephew was a wake-up call to America’s rural mental health crisis.

Since then Jeff Winton has served as an advocate bringing mental health resources to the communities that need them.

A local nonprofit with a focus on mental health in agriculture and rural areas, Rural Minds, has partnered with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, to release a new online course that was launched in mid-September. The course, titled “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America,” is catered towards veterinarians, vet students and agribusiness professionals. It is designed to give learners practical support strategies and resources to navigate mental health challenges in rural communities. While it is focused mostly on veterinarians and agribusiness professionals, the course is free and open to anyone with an interest.

A new resource is available to provide practical support strategies and information to help navigate mental health challenges in rural communities. Julie Lux says Rural Minds has partnered with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and NY FarmNet to provide the “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America” course. “It’s targeted to veterinarians because we know how important veterinarians are in rural communities and what a big part they frequently play,” he says. “They may be the people that can see those signs.”

Suicide is a public health crisis that affects every corner of our society, but certain communities are disproportionately at risk. From rural areas to LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and men, these groups face unique challenges that can increase their vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. During Suicide Prevention Month, it’s crucial to spotlight these at-risk communities, raise awareness, and offer tangible solutions that can save lives.

Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and NY FarmNet, in partnership with Rural Minds, has launched a free online course, "Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America," designed to give learners practical support strategies and resources to navigate mental health challenges in rural communities.

We live and work in rural communities. I (Jeff) am the founder and chairman of Rural Minds and from rural upstate New York. I (John) spend part of my time in the least populated county of North Carolina and serve as the chief medical officer and executive vice president at Otsuka in the US. Our experiences in rural America have shown us that in rural communities, though unique in their people and landscapes, mental health inequity is ubiquitous. Across the country, rural residents are struggling to address the growing and seemingly intractable mental health crisis.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the May episode of Wheat World, The National Association of Wheat Growers’ monthly podcast, focused on how to tackle the mental health crisis in rural America. Host Elizabeth Rivera spoke with Jeff Winton, President and Chairman of Rural Minds, and Nathan Lawson, Kentucky producer and mental health advocate.

Forty-eight hours in September 2012 contained one of a farming family’s happiest days and one of its most tragic.

Brooks Winton’s older brother, Toby, had just gotten married, and the extended family had gathered to celebrate.

Two days later, Brooks, 28, took his own life, leaving behind a wife and 3-year-old twins.

“He gave me a big hug as I was leaving the wedding reception and said, ‘Uncle Jeff, I just want you to know I so appreciate everything you’ve done for my family and me,’” said New York dairy farmer Jeff Winton.

“I didn’t think anything of it because he was a very grateful, very appreciative young man that always went out of his way to thank people for things,” Winton said. “But little did I know he was saying goodbye to me.”

Growing up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, where the nearest town had a population of about 500 people, I have firsthand perspective on living in rural America. Rural communities are typically small and friendly — and the people are fiercely independent, yet quick to come together and help their neighbors in need. Over the years, however, I was aware that there was something going on in my small farming community that people kept hidden — a taboo topic. As I eventually discovered that there were people in my community who had a relative or a friend living with an untreated mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Yet, their struggles were met with silence because in this community — like in much of rural America — there was little information and few, if any, resources available.

The Rural Minds organization is working with established mental health nonprofits to bring resources to underserved rural communities. Founder Jeff Winton says 65% of counties in the United States do not have a practicing psychiatrist. Access to mental health care is a steep challenge to rural Americans in crisis. “Every 11 minutes, someone dies by suicide in America.” Jeff Winton, founder and chairman of the nonprofit organization Rural Minds, paused to let the number settle on the audience’s minds. He was speaking at the 2023 Cattlemen’s College last February.

Suicide Rates in rural America on the rise. Few would have guessed Brooks Winton, a farmer from rural New York, was going through severe mental health struggles. Described as a burley ex-athlete with the ability to hoist farm animals under each arm, the 28-year-old was a beloved member of a close-knit family. That’s why his suicide came as a shock. “He was the father of 3-year-old twins, the life of the party, very hardworking,” says his uncle, Jeff Winton. “Everybody loved my nephew. No one had any idea he was struggling with mental illness until the day we found him.”

“When we talk about tough situations, the conversation about suicide and mental health is tough, but it’s even harder to have that conversation when you lose someone.” That’s how farmer Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger began his presentation during a recent Rural Mental Health Connections webinar, hosted by the National Grange. The webinar series is sponsored by Rural Minds, a nonprofit, and the National Grange, which both have missions of education, impacting people and their communities in positive ways and giving people an opportunity to grow.