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.

Rates of mental illness were already high in the U.S., but the pandemic intensified everything: Illness, loneliness, job loss, grief, and other stressors related to COVID induced a nationwide rise in anxiety and depression. As difficult as the pandemic has been, however, it hit some groups far harder than others. It exacerbated social and economic inequities already known to drive and sustain poor mental health among marginalized communities. Those in rural America, already less likely to receive mental health care than those in urban areas, were particularly hard hit. So were people of color, who are more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID and are less likely to receive mental health care compared with white people. And for those who were unhoused or formerly incarcerated, the consequences have been profound.

KSIR’s Lorrie Boyer interviews Rural Minds VP Julie Lux about the organization’s launch and mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America

For much too long, discussions around mental illness in rural communities have been taboo while this silent epidemic continues to ravage rural America. Rates for depression are higher for rural residents compared to those in urban areas, and suicide rates among people living in rural counties are 25 percent higher than those in major metropolitan areas. Rural Minds™ is a new nonprofit that aims to end the suffering, silence, and stigma around mental illness in rural America. The seeds for Rural Minds were sown from the personal tragedy experienced by founder and chairman Jeff Winton when his beloved 28-year-old nephew, Brooks, died by suicide. Brooks was the father of three-year-old twins and worked on Jeff’s dairy farm in rural upstate New York, where Jeff also grew up.

We were very grateful and honored to have Jeff Winton, the founder of Rural Minds, fly in personally to speak to us. This is a wonderful new organization created to “serve as an informed voice for mental health in rural America and provide mental health information and resources.” To learn more about the reason for its founding and find lots of resources, check out the website Ruralminds.org and be sure to watch the video there. We hope to cement a close relationship with Jeff and encourage programs in every Grange to combat the stigma of mental illness, depression and suicide in rural areas. The suicide rate is 25% higher in rural America than urban—a terrible statistic that we hope to assist in reducing.

As the National Grange continues to highlight issues affecting rural America, we have forged a partnership with Rural Minds, LLC to help make the National Grange’s voice on the Hill even stronger. Rural Minds is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. Rural Minds collaborates with other organizations on initiatives to help end the silence, stigma, and suffering that surround mental illness.

Rural Minds Founder Jeff Winton sits down with Tigger and BEC to talk about a startling statistic - farmers and others in the ag trade had the highest suicide rate of all occupations – 3 1/2 times that of the general population

Rural Minds Founder and Chairman Jeff Winton was featured in news segments on rural radio stations across the U.S. The coverage coincided with National Rural Health Day on November 18, 2021. Jeff shared his personal story about the death by suicide of his nephew, Brooks, at Jeff’s family farm in rural upstate New York. This served as the tragic inspiration that led to Jeff establishing Rural Minds with the mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and services.

Jeff Winton shared the personal story of his family’s tragedy that led to Jeff establishing Rural Minds with the mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and services.

Jeff Winton discusses his family's decision to speak out and not remain silent about his nephew, Brooks' suicide, and how that decision led to the founding of Rural Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to serving as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and providing mental health information and resources.

Rural Minds™ launches today with a mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit will also convey the importance of overcoming the stigma around mental health challenges.

Rural Minds™ launches with a mission to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit will also convey the importance of overcoming the stigma around mental health challenges.

All families know pain and loss—and Rural Minds founder Jeff Winton eflects on how those experiences offer wisdom in the face of the many challenges of 2021.

Rural Minds founder responds to mental health struggles in agriculture: Dear Editor: My 28-year-old nephew, Brooks, was a multi-generational dairy farmer and father of 4-year-old twins. His death by suicide is a tragic and poignant indicator of a problem that is drastically increasing. My family is from upstate New York. I currently own a dairy farm and am the Founder and CEO of a communications firm working in the agricultural/ biotechnology/ pharmaceutical arenas. I find this article to be a needed and strong voice for advocates of rural mental health.