In America’s close-knit rural communities, residents are quick to rally when an illness or accident affects their farming neighbors, helping them through the rough patches. But all illnesses are not created equal, and the silent specter of mental illness often brings no recognition and no extra hands to help.

This situation is one that many organizations, health advocates, and individuals in agriculture are working hard to change. For Jeff Winton, a New York dairy farmer, his passion to address mental health in rural America led him to found Rural Minds in October 2021. The nonprofit aims to serve as the informed voice for mental health in these areas and provide mental health resources.