The Farm Bill is a general title for the primary agricultural and food policy legislation of the United States’ federal government. This comprehensive piece of legislation, which includes topics such as trade, development, conservation, research, food programs, and marketing, is passed every five years or so. The most recent edition, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, will be introduced to Congress this month.
Earlier this year, in anticipation of the new Farm Bill, the National Farmers Union and a coalition of 36 other prominent agricultural advocacy groups sent a letter to Washington. In the letter, the organizations urged Congressional leaders to resurrect and reignite a dead and nearly forgotten section of a prior Farm Bill: the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN). These organizations recognize that this important section of legislation, if reinstated, may have the potential to decrease the alarming rate of farmer suicides.
The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network was originally included in the 2008 Farm Bill – the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The section detailed that, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, the Secretary of Agriculture would organize grants to support state and non-profit rural mental health organizations. The goal was to initiate, expand, and sustain programs that provide professional behavioral health counseling and referrals for other needed assistance. In particular, the grants would support cooperative extension services, telephone helplines and websites, community education, support groups, public outreach programs, and home assistance. This was all in effort to offer support and improve stress management among farmers and ranchers. Congressional leaders who wrote the section rightly recognized the need, considering farming’s occupational risks for depression and anxiety (financial risk, volatile markets, unpredictable weather, and heavy workload, to name a few).
Unfortunately, however, the FRSAN never got off the ground. The program would have required an estimated $17 million to run, and funds were never allocated. It was dropped in the Agricultural Act of 2014. State and non-profit organizations were left on their own to address the mental health needs of rural American farmers.
As noted earlier, many organizations recognize the value and potential of the FRSAN, and they hope Congress will reconsider it. If it were successfully adopted into the 2018 Farm Bill and properly implemented, the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network could be the answer to many struggling communities. A suicidal farmer could get the help he needs. A depressed rancher could have someone to call, or a website for referral. If nothing else, the legislation would increase awareness of a rural problem that many turn a blind eye to. It would be worthwhile for Congress to reinstate the FRSAN to offer hope to rural communities of America.
References
Farm and Rural Groups Urge Congress to Address Farmer Suicides in Farm Bill. (2018, April 09). Retrieved April 15, 2018, from https://nfu.org/2018/04/09/farm-and-rural-groups-urge-congress-to-address-farmer-suicides-in-farm-bill/
(n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2018, from http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section5936&num=0&edition=prelim
Farmers Are Killing Themselves 