The New York State Agricultural Society Cap Creal Awards spotlight the work contributed by a variety of stakeholders to disseminate well-executed communications about NY agriculture and food. The three awards include: Communicator of the Year, Digital & Social Media Champion, and Traditional Journalism.

This year, Rural Minds Founder & Chairman Jeff Winton was selected for the 2025 Communicator of the Year Award.

Farming might be an idealistic profession for some. Farmers are outside, working with animals, and growing food for our communities.

"A lot of people think that farming is a wonderful way of life, and they want to jump right in and take it on. [But] it’s one of the most stressful jobs a person can have," said Becky Wiseman, a licensed clinical social worker who works with NY Farm Net. That’s a program that helps farmers with their businesses and personal challenges related to their farms.

Rural America is home to nearly 46 million people, and the rural lifestyle can present some unique challenges when it comes to this time of year.

“The holidays can be especially stressful for those of us who live on farms. Farming is always a financial roller coaster, with many factors that are out of our control. So when additional financial burdens and expectations are placed on farm families to purchase gifts and entertain during the holidays, this can lead to anxiety and depression. Since many farm families like mine work seven days a week, 365 days of the year, it can be difficult to attend holiday gatherings if they conflict with when livestock should be fed or cows need to be milked,” said Jeff Winton, Founder and Chairman of Rural Minds.

MAYVILLE – The Mayville/Chautauqua Lions Club held a Buffalo Bills watch party fundraiser recently at the Mayville VFW Post 8647.

Rural Minds Founder & Chairman Jeff Winton and Pfizer Senior Director for Operation Health and Wellness Dr. Nikki Shaffer recently joined host Jesse Allen on his radio program, Agriculture of America, to discuss how to handle the stressors and mental health challenges that oftentimes accompany the holiday season.

Rural Minds Founder & Chairman Jeff Winton is joined by NY FarmNet Family Counselor Christina Marsh on host Doc Hamels’ Chautauqua Sunrise. Doc discusses the mental health crisis in rural America with Jeff and Christina.

With the goal of providing educational content to confront rural mental health challenges and the stigma that surrounds mental illness, Rural Minds and the National Grange will present a webinar about managing postpartum depression in rural America. 

The professionally moderated, one-hour webinar will be presented on Tuesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. ET.

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.

In this episode, host Brandon Li sits down with Jeff Winton, founder of Rural Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for mental health services in rural America. Jeff shares his deeply personal story of how a family tragedy inspired the creation of Rural Minds and sheds light on the mental health crisis in rural communities, where stigma and lack of access to care create unique challenges.

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.

Rural Minds Executive Director joins host Jesse Allen to discuss the launch of the Cornell Mental Health Awareness & Suicide Prevention in Rural America course, which is offered free of charge, in partnership with Rural Minds and NY FarmNet.

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.

Forty years ago, the nation was dealing with the onset of an historic crisis with the farm economy. Land was foreclosed, livestock were sold and people left the farm for the city.

And sadly, farmers were dying by suicide, partly because they didn't know how to deal with the impact.

It is better now, but a great deal of work remains to be done to ensure rural residents have adequate access to mental health care.

“Iowa is 45th in the nation when it comes to mental health providers per capita,” says David Brown, Extension behavioral specialist with Iowa State University. “Fifty percent of Iowans live in areas where mental health care is not very accessible. Things have gotten better, but a lot of work remains.”

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Mental health care can be hard to access in Kansas. One study’s findings suggest things could be looking up.

The 2024 State of Mental Health in America report shows a big improvement in Kansas’ ranking. Kansas jumped from being the state with the worst mental health care access to number 22 in rank.

However, Mental Health America, the organization putting together the report, says this year’s report can’t be compared to previous years.

During her freshman year in college, Asheton was deeply affected by a classmate’s suicide. And even though she hadn’t known him personally, his story hit home.

“The thing that stuck with me is that he was just like me,” she said. “He came from a small town. He lived on the same floor as me. He was a freshman, and he was taking the same classes I was, and he was struggling with them.”

For Asheton, moving from Roxboro, North Carolina, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had been an exciting change from the quiet country roads of her childhood. Growing up, her closest friends lived miles down the road.

“I went from being the smartest kid in the school to being one of the smart kids. And it was like I was pulled underwater,” she explained. “It was the most difficult change I’ve ever had to deal with.”

Listen to Amica Simmons-Yon, PharmD, PhD as she spills the tea on mental health in rural America with special guest, Jeff Winton (Founder & Chairman of Rural Minds). During this episode, Jeff discusses the vision and mission of the non-profit organization, Rural Minds. Mr. Winton highlights the challenges and differences around mental health for those living in rural America. Lastly, he describes the future goals and initiative of Rural Minds and share key resources with listeners about this hot topic!

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.