Montezuma County and state partners on the agriculture‑behavioral health working group on December 25 described pilot efforts to bring mental‑health and primary‑care services directly to farm communities and to reduce barriers that keep producers from getting help.

Emily Locker, an extension specialist with Colorado State University, presented Montezuma County’s outreach program rebranded for agricultural audiences and reported the results of a fair‑based survey that identified financial pressures, climate conditions, isolation and lack of community supports as the leading stressors for producers. Locker said the county’s new program—promoted with a farming‑focused logo and casual meetups called "Cattle Cops and Coffee"—aims to make support easier to access for farmers who may avoid formal clinical settings.

"Nuestra misión para este programa interior es hacer conexión en la comunidad," Locker said, describing the program’s goal of building informal ties that can lower stigma and encourage help‑seeking.

A cofounder and program partner, Bob Pescura, recounted a personal family experience with suicide and described long-standing service gaps. He said an international contact trained local counselors in farm‑focused therapy, and that experience suggested only "10 por 100" of farmers who ask for help actually receive it. "Solo 10 por 100 de las personas que piden ayudar lo reciben," he said, framing the group’s effort to reduce friction in accessing care.

Participants described two practical service models discussed during the session. A Carbondale primary‑care physician explained a direct primary‑care subscription model in which patients pay a monthly fee (noted in the call as roughly $100–$150) for ongoing access to a clinician and argued that continuity and trust make it easier for rural patients to accept treatment. Organizers also described offering discounted or free specialist services by arranging reduced fees with local providers and by using a simple online intake (a Google form) for CPS referrals.

Organizers stressed eligibility and enrollment simplicity as priorities. Presenters said the program accepts people who meet usual public‑benefit criteria (for example, SNAP/Medicaid) and noted an adjusted household‑income threshold mentioned on the call of $75,000 or less as a screening guideline. They emphasized removing cost barriers—"we took the amount they have to pay out of the equation"—so producers can say yes when support is offered.

Why it matters: rural producers face structural barriers (distance, limited provider supply, stigma and scheduling) that make a single‑visit clinical model ineffective. The working group’s pilot emphasizes community spaces, trusted local clinicians and repeated contact to reach producers who otherwise decline conventional services.

Next steps: organizers said the pilot will continue to iterate, there are plans to expand outreach across the state, and the group will bring updates to its January agenda, including scheduling for regional events and potential funding sources.