Despite ongoing investment in rural mental health services, many farmers remain disengaged from formal systems of support. This is often interpreted as reluctance to seek help; however, practice-based experience suggests the issue is more accurately one of fit, trust and relevance within rural contexts.

This presentation draws on the development and delivery of Shed Talk, a farmer-led, peer-based mental health and wellbeing initiative delivered across regional Victoria. Designed and facilitated by people with lived experience of farming, the program operates outside traditional clinical environments, using practical language, familiar settings and strengths-based conversations to engage farming communities in discussions about distress, suicide, connection and supporting mates.

Using Shed Talk as a case example, this presentation explores how community-led approaches can improve engagement in rural mental health conversations. Reflections from delivery highlight increased participation, stronger peer support and earlier engagement with wellbeing concepts when discussions are practical, culturally aligned and non-pathologising.

The presentation will examine how lived experience, local knowledge and relational approaches contribute to trust and inclusion in rural mental health initiatives. It will also consider what mental health services and practitioners can learn from community-led models when working with populations that may not engage with traditional systems of care.

Rather than positioning farmers as resistant to support, this presentation encourages a shift toward designing approaches that reflect the realities, language and strengths of rural communities.