Editor’s note: This is the second of two stories about the 107th annual Barton County Farm Bureau meeting on Aug. 17. Part One appeared in the Aug. 19 edition of the Great Bend Tribune.
Leonard Kaiser, a licensed professional counselor and the community liaison at The Center for Counseling and Consultation, was honored by Barton County Farm Bureau for his work as an advocate for mental health. At the Aug. 17 BCFB Annual meeting, Kaiser received the 2025 Rural Minds Matter Advocate of the Year Award.
Kaiser offers farmers and ranchers, along with those who interact with them, information about mental health and suicide risks. His efforts intensified in the past year as he worked more closely with Kansas Ag Stress and a program called AgSafe.
According to the program notes on his award, Kaiser was nominated for this award in 2024 and even though he did not receive the State honor, Kansas Farm Bureau asked the local chapter to encourage him to resubmit his application in 2025.
“His efforts are instrumental in fostering awareness, support and change in mental health in rural Kansas. Barton County Farm Bureau believes that he is a true advocate and (his work at The Center) has enabled Leonard to reach out to others and be even a stronger candidate for this honor than he was a year ago.”
Kaiser spoke briefly as he accepted the award, urging BCFB members to be aware of the signs that someone may be at risk and needing mental health care.
“I heard a great quote the other day, ‘You don’t have to be a therapist to be therapeutic.’ Check on each other, check on the other farmers that you know, check on the other ranchers you know; check on each other. And then if you feel like, ‘hey, there’s something up,’ say something, get a referral, talk to somebody that can get them some help.
“I appreciate all that Farm Bureau does. I use Farm Bureau resources in the presentations that I do throughout the area all the time. They have so many resources on their website,” he said.
He recommended the AgriSafe.org website as a source of useful information.
More photos and awards from the BCFB meeting can be found here and here.
