A mental health workshop held Dec. 2 at the 2025 Virginia Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Williamsburg challenged Virginia farmers to reclaim control by confronting the uncomfortable.
When Mind Your Melon founders Marshal and Taylor Sewell asked workshop attendees why they may be reluctant to talk about mental health, they heard familiar responses.
“The idea that it reflects weakness—that’s something we’ve heard a lot in our work,” Marshal remarked.
The Mind Your Melon Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on improving mental health and wellbeing among farmers and rural families. The foundation was created to raise awareness about farm stress and connect agricultural communities with meaningful sources. Through writing, workshops, speaking engagements and digital outreach, the foundation now reaches rural audiences across the country and around the world.
The workshop, titled “Taking Back Control: Building Resilience in your Life & Business,” centered around “flipping perspectives” on mental health.
“There’s so much power and strength in being able to look inward, figure out what’s going on, and figure out what you need to do to help yourself,” Taylor emphasized.
Workshop participants were introduced to resilience concepts, stress mapping and management strategies to navigate stress and find balance in business, family and personal decision-making.
Rooted in the science of resilience—specifically the “3 Cs: Commitment, Challenge and Control”—the sessions blended personal reflection with hands-on tools to help participants manage stress, uncertainty and risk in everyday farm life.
Participants were asked to write down what they are committed to, a challenge they can reframe as an opportunity for growth, and an area they can take control of.
“You have to find a fine balance between being able to control what you can, and being able to admit and acknowledge the things that you can’t,” Marshal noted. “You look at things you can control and influence, and on some days, that’s no more than ourselves—our own actions, perspectives and how we respond.”
The Sewells encouraged proactive, protective and preventive thinking for reclaiming control in farming and life—like developing a farm succession plan, diversifying the business, or building up “your bench” of professional advisers and supportive peers.
“Who are your ‘oh no’ people—the ones you can call when it’s going sideways and you need some help?” Marshal asked participants.
“Think about who you want to show up for, and are you taking the best care of yourself to be able to do that?” Taylor added.
Marshal shared his personal experiences with the stresses, grief and challenges of farm life. His father died by suicide amid a devastating crop failure—showing “no real signs” of mental health struggles.
“I don’t mind being vulnerable about the things my family experienced, because I saw how it impacted us, and I don’t want to see something similar happen to any of you or your families.”
He encouraged applying the “ACE method of Ask, Care, Escort” in proactive conversations with loved ones who may be struggling—asking questions like, ‘How are you doing really?’; offering a listening ear; and being prepared to provide needed support and resources.
Taylor reminded participants to “ask for help” when needed.
“You’re not a burden, it’s not trouble, there are people in your life that care about you,” she emphasized.
Visit mindyourmelon.org for more information.
