Adult Mental Health First Aid for Wisconsin Agriculture Community – July 28 & 29
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension is offering a virtual education program to help the Wisconsin agriculture community identify and respond to a variety of behavioral health challenges. The next virtual Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for the agriculture community is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28-29, 2026, from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. via the Zoom platform.
What to expect: Participants are required to attend both virtual sessions. Pre-registration and approximately two hours of self-paced, online pre-work is required to participate in the July 28-29 training. Register for free at go.wisc.edu/11mr82.
Nearly one in five adults lives with a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Research shows that suicide rates are higher within the rural and agriculture communities. The stigma of mental health challenges and thoughts of suicide is prevalent in our rural and farming communities. Mental Health First Aid helps community members better understand how they can support their friends, family members, and neighbors and help break the stigma around mental health.
Just as CPR teaches you how to help someone having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid instructs how to help someone experiencing a mental health challenge including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety symptoms, panic attacks and substance misuse, as well as someone thinking about suicide. The program gives participants the skills, confidence and resources to provide initial support and be able to respond in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Mental Health First Aid is a program that teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of these challenges.
The instructors for this training are two UW-Madison Division of Extension Educators: Joy Kirkpatrick, Farm Succession Outreach Specialist and Beverly Doll, Grant County Human Development & Relationships Educator. If you have questions about the training, please contact either joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu, 608-263-3485 or beverly.doll@wisc.edu, 608-723-2125.
To register for this free program, go to go.wisc.edu/11mr82.
Funding for these training programs is provided by the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center USDA/NIFA award number 2025-70028-4537.
