The Senate has adopted a bipartisan resolution retroactively designating May 29 as “Mental Health Awareness Day in Agriculture.”
The resolution approved Monday cites data showing that the suicide rate among farmers is 3.5 times the rate in the general population. For farmworkers, the rate is 1.4 times higher than in other occupations.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., says it “designates May 29, 2024, as ‘Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day’ to raise awareness around mental health in the agricultural industry and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.”
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“It’s important for all of us to remember that a healthy farm or ranch is nothing without a healthy farmer or rancher,” Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said in a press release.
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