For four years in a row, farm income has been down. Commodity prices are low. Inputs and equipment are expensive. Coupled with fears of retaliation against agriculture from the possibility of a trade war, many farmers are on edge. Our farm families are resilient, but they face mounting pressure that can have a significant impact on their emotions and mental health.
Our farmers feed the world and work in an environment that can be stressful because of their dependence on changing markets, weather and other factors outside of their control.
A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showed people working in agriculture commit suicide at a rate higher than any other occupation. This is a problem we must confront. Mental health has not received the attention it needs, and we must take action.
I’ve heard too much about farmers in Iowa taking their lives. And I’ve had heartbreaking conversations with spouses and family members who’ve lost a loved one in this horrible way.
After continuing to learn about the rising rates of suicide in our agricultural communities, I worked with colleagues and introduced the STRESS Act, which opens the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN).
This network will provide free, confidential mental health services to agriculture workers, including a 24/7 crisis line, ongoing therapy, support groups and other counseling services.
Farmers will be able to talk to mental health professionals who are uniquely positioned to understand the emotions and stresses in a farmer’s everyday life.
FRSAN was originally created in the 2008 Farm Bill by our former Sen. Tom Harkin and others, but unfortunately it didn’t get the funding it needed to open.
Sowing Seeds of Hope (SSOH), a program that expired in 2014, was used to provide the resources FRSAN will require if the STRESS Act is enacted into law. SSOH answered more than 500,000 calls from farmers, trained 10,000 rural mental health professionals and brought help to more than 100,000 families. This is why it was used as the model for the FRSAN.
Access to adequate health care, especially mental health resources, can be difficult in rural areas. And this is why I look for ways to help Iowans in all parts of the Third District.
We Iowans do our best to take care of each other. The STRESS Act is one way to help. But this isn’t solely a federal solution. We need to make sure we are conscious of one another’s behavior, needs and words — or lack of words — every day. Relationships are important. We need one another. Let’s do what we can to take care of each other to live healthy lives.
Rep. David Young has represented Iowa’s third Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2014.
