On April 26, 2024, APA Services joined other agriculture-affiliated farming and ranching organizations, and rural mental health advocacy groups—including the National Association for Rural Mental Health and the American Farm Bureau Federation—in a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee leadership (PDF, 125KB)opens in new window concerning funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN). The letter calls on Congress to fully fund this program at $10 million in fiscal year 2025, its maximum authorized level set by Congress.
Established under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, FRSAN authorizes grants overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture to provide “stress assistance programs to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations.” The FRSAN program funds several population health-based programs that provide an array of mental health resources in rural communities that often struggle to access these services. Congress has yet to fund this program under the next Farm Bill, which sets funding levels for an array of USDA programs. APA Services will continue to advocate for Congress to pass the Farm Bill this year, and for adequate funding of all programs affecting access to mental health treatment in rural communities.
For more information, contact Andrew Strickland.