McLean County Farm Bureau

LEGISLATION TO BOOST MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR FARMERS –

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is pushing a new bill that would expand voluntary training for farm-facing Agriculture Department employees and promote mental health awareness through billboards, radio and TV ads, in an effort to bring down high rates of mental health problems in rural and agricultural communities. Tester, a farmer himself, told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that tough conditions in the farm economy are increasingly taking a mental toll on producers. He estimated that the legislation will cost $3 million in total. (Politico)