Thursday, the FARMERS FIRST Bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate to help address the alarmingly high rate of suicide among farmers and ranchers. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the measure is designed to be a marker bill for the Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill. He says given the financial stress in rural America, this bill is critically important.
He says the FARMERS FIRST legislation reauthorizes the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. It also authorizes $50 million for the program, which has yet be funded since it was first included in the 2008 Farm Bill.
Johnson says the last time farmers and ranchers experienced this severe level of economic stress was in the 1980s and he saw that first hand.
Johnson says the House has a similar measure contained in their 2018 Farm Bill but hasn’t provided any funding for it. He’s hoping the Senate version can eventually be conferenced with the House.
