b'She said, This is going to stop with my family,Why Agriculture Absorbs the Pressure Firsthe recalls. We are going to talk about it, starting atMental health challenges in rural America rarely Brookss funeral. exist in isolation. They intersect with economic That choice opened something unexpected.stress, workforce shortages and uncertainty that Other farm families began reaching out. Stories sur- land directly on agriculture.faced that had never been shared. Grief, long carriedFarmers are under tremendous pressure right privately, found language. now, Winton says. Market disruptions, shrinking All of a sudden, the floodgates opened, Wintonexport opportunities, labor shortages, hospital says. Thats when we realized this wasnt just ourclosures. It all stacks.story. Trade disruptions have left some producers without reliable buyers. Labor shortages have A Crisis Hiding Behind Familiar Landscapes intensified as immigration uncertainty ripples The data confirms what those early conversationsthrough agricultural communities. Hospital clo-revealed. Suicide rates in rural America are nearlysures and potential health care cuts raise new 50% higher than in large urban areas. Young peoplequestions about access and affordability.in rural communities are 74% more likely to dieThat stress doesnt stay on the balance sheet, by suicide than their urban and suburban peers.Winton says. It shows up in people.Farmers are estimated to be three and a half timesFor seed companies and ag businesses, theSuicide rates in more likely to die by suicide than people in otherimplications are not abstract. rural America professions. Regardless of where you live, you depend onare nearly This is a runaway train, Winton says. And itsthe mental and physical wellness of the people in50% moving faster, not slower. rural America to raise your food and fiber, Wintonhigher than in Access to care remains one of the most visiblesays. This is not only a matter of compassion. Its alarge urban barriers. Nearly three-quarters of rural counties lackmatter of practicality. areas. a psychiatrist. Only 12% of physicians practice in rural communities even though 14% of the U.S. populationChanging Culture Starts with Leadership Young people lives there. Even primary care can be hard to reach. For Winton, the question isnt whether agriculturein rural When I moved back to the farm, I waited sixcan change its approach to mental health, but whocommunities months to get into a primary care physician, Wintonis willing to lead that change.aresays. Thats not unusual where I live. It starts at the top, he says. Within companies,74% Telehealth, often positioned as a solution, is con- it starts at the top. more likely to strained by infrastructure gaps many outside ruralCulture, he argues, is shaped less by posters anddie by suicide America rarely consider. programs than by what leaders are willing to saythan their urban Nearly 30% of rural families have no broadband,out loud. and suburban not because they cant afford it, but because itLeaders need to speak openly and honestlypeers. simply isnt available, Winton says. My farm man- and allow people to know that its okay to speak ager doesnt have internet because the line stops atabout depression or anxiety, just like its okay toNearly my house. There was no return on investment to gospeak about cancer or diabetes, Winton says.farther. But words alone are not enough. Policies must30%Transportation compounds the problem. Manyreinforce that message. of rural families rural communities lack public transit, ride-shareHR policies need to allow people strugglinghave no options or even reliable cell service. For hourly work- with mental illness the same flexibility and com- broadband, not because they ers, traveling several hours to see a provider canpassion and coverage as they do other physicalcant afford it, mean losing wages they cant afford to forgo. illnesses, he says. but because And even when care exists, stigma can still keepIn an industry built on toughness and endur- it simply isnt doors closed. ance, that shift can feel unfamiliar. Yet Wintonavailable.In a small town, everybody knows everythingbelieves it is essential for retaining talent and pre-about you, Winton says. People worry about havingventing crises.their pickup truck parked outside the mental healthThis is an illness, he says. And we have to start clinic. News travels fast. treating it as such.FEBRUARY 2026SEEDWORLD.COM /13'