Ag Community Works To Raise Awareness Of Mental Health Issues

Raising awareness and removing stigmas about rural mental health issues are occurring through various state and grass-root level efforts. Scott Heiberger of the National Farm Medicine Center discuses a campaign from last spring called "Farm Neighbors Care", involving different organizations in Wisconsin bringing treats to farmers.
A reason to be face-to-face and check in with producers.

"The real value of that was being able to work together with all these organizations.  We put a media kit together, we worked with groups that we have not worked with before and when you're looking at mental health in the community, taking a group effort really seems to help."

Collaboration between Wisconsin farm broadcaster Brian Winnekins and dairy producer Randy Rochert, led to a 2019 townhall meeting on rural stress and mental health challenges. And through that, grants to support question, persuade and refer trading to help citizens help loved ones and neighbors they believe need help.

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