Ted Matthews served as MDA's rural mental health specialist for 30 years before retiring in summer 2025. While he's stepping away from day-to-day farm counseling, Matthews will continue to bring difficult mental health conversations out in the open.  

Matthews graduated from South Dakota State University and served four years in the Air Force before he began working in FEMA's mental health services. That role led to a similar position as an agricultural mental health counselor with Farm Business Management, which then became a pilot program with funding from the Minnesota Legislature.  

Matthews has watched farming change over the years, from technology to shifting family dynamics. Producers are working longer hours for more years, and more women have taken on greater roles in farming operations. But the rigors of securing financial backing, putting a crop in the ground, securing financial backing and enduring the ups and downs of the growing season bring inherent mental health challenges.