The Farmer Angel Network Winter Social will be held Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. at 715 Steer and Beer, W6087 Hwy. 10, Ellsworth. Keynote speaker is Ted Matthews, one of the only mental health professionals in the nation that specializes in farm mental health.

The Farmer Angel Network of Western WI was created after the passing of Ellsworth native, Brian Webster, who was a fourth generation farmer who died by suicide. The original Farmer Angel Network was founded in southeast WI after another local farmer died by suicide and the Webster family decided to create a “sister” chapter serving the communities of western WI.  Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide due to perceived stigmas, weather patterns, crop prices etc. Our primary goal is to break the stigma of mental health in the farming community, educate the public about the troubles people face in agriculture and lastly, to provide mental health resources for those involved in agriculture.