Dolores, Colo. — Maddie Butcher, who organized a two-day forum called Buck the Trend, described a small, community-driven approach to rural behavioral-health outreach at the Agriculture Behavioral Health Working Group meeting.

Butcher said she tailored the event to local culture, emphasized listening to residents and invited health professionals to learn local working conditions so they could serve residents better. "They realized ... most health professionals don't have any clue about the specific stressors and challenges of lobstermen and fishermen," she said of a Maine program she studied as a model. "They built a webinar called Fisherman's 101 to help therapists, doctors, health professionals of any kind ..." She said a similar approach helped her tailor Buck the Trend for ranchers and horse workers in her region.

Butcher described the forum’s format: two days of short sessions, social time, local food and opportunities for attendees to share experiences. She said organizers limited attendance to about 20 people for the first pilot so they could listen and adapt, and she reported positive feedback and ongoing local connections after the event.

Why it matters: The Buck the Trend model focuses on culturally appropriate outreach — training providers about the agricultural context and running modest, relationship-centered events to connect residents with services and one another. Presenters at the working group described the format as a potential blueprint for other rural communities seeking trusted, low-barrier engagement.

Butcher offered materials and a website (besthorsepractices.com) for attendees seeking examples from the pilot and said she planned to adapt the model for other Western states. Working-group members asked about scaling the model and combining it with provider training; Butcher said the listening-and-tailoring approach was the core element to retain.