# Supporting Farmworker Mental Health Act

This bill makes it easier for the federal government to fund mental health support programs specifically designed for farmworkers and people in agriculture. Right now, farmworkers—including seasonal workers, ranchers, and farm laborers—face high levels of stress and anxiety but often can't access mental health care. This bill addresses that gap by allowing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use existing grant money to support "peer-to-peer" mental health programs, where farmworkers talk to and support each other rather than relying solely on professional therapists.

The practical change is straightforward: the bill adds farmworker mental health support as an official use of grants under an existing agriculture program called the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. This means organizations can now apply for federal funding to create support groups, hotlines, or counseling networks where farmers and farmworkers can connect with others who understand their unique challenges—financial pressures, weather-related losses, physical demands, and isolation. The bill also extends the funding authorization through 2028, ensuring these programs have stable, long-term support.

Who benefits? Primarily farmworkers and agricultural workers who struggle with mental health but face barriers to traditional healthcare—whether due to cost, location, language, or the stigma some feel about seeking help. By funding peer support programs, the bill recognizes that sometimes the most effective help comes from talking to someone who's lived through similar experiences. The bill doesn't create new government agencies or bureaucracy; it simply redirects existing grant money toward this specific mental health need in the agricultural community.

Supporting Farmworker Mental Health Act

Harder, Josh

Supporting Farmworker Mental Health ActThis bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and modifies the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program. (The FRSAN Program funds projects that aim to maintain a network connecting individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs.)Specifically, the bill makes individuals engaged in farm work eligible for assistance under the FRSAN Program.The bill also expands the types of programs eligible for FRSAN grants to include those that deliver peer-to-peer mental health support to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, farm work, and other agriculture-related occupations.&nbsp;