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Federal mental health support for farmers in jeopardy without new farm bill

Services through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network are diminishing until Congress passes additional appropriations.

“It has saved lives.”

Remington Rice leads Michigan State University Extension’s Managing Farm Stress Program.

“We’ve been operating on a budget set in 2017/2018 in 2025, and as you know, and every farmer listening knows, costs have went up,” he share.

The program was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and offers free mental health resources throughout the country, including suicide hotlines and teletherapy.

Rice says lawmakers shouldn’t undervalue the difference the resources make in saving farmers and their operations.

“The grand scheme of total cost, this is money well worth it if we can support farmers,” he encourages. “We have had success with this. We’ve had family farms say that they are going to continue farming because of these supports.”

The bipartisan, bicameral Farmers First Act introduced by Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin and Iowa Republican Joni Ernst would formally reauthorize the program through 2030 with additional funding.

Rice says all Congress has to do is pass it.