National Agricultural Crisis Hotline Act of 2023

National Agricultural Crisis Hotline Act of 2023

This bill establishes a national agricultural crisis hotline. The bill also reauthorizes the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program through FY2028. (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 Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish, and maintain directly or by grant or contract, a national agricultural crisis hotline as part of the FRSAN. The crisis hotline must provide emotional support, information, suicide crisis intervention, mental health and substance use disorder, and agricultural support resources to farmers, farm managers, farm workers, and ranchers affected by mental health and substance use disorders and their families or household members.

Under the program, USDA or an entity receiving a grant or contract must (1) form partnerships between the crisis hotline and existing farm telephone helplines and websites; and (2) develop, and periodically update, a directory of organizations to which hotline staff can make referrals.

The bill also includes requirements for

• the qualifications and training for the call responders and supervisors operating the hotline,
• data collection by the hotline, and
• conducting a public awareness campaign for the hotline. 

In addition, the bill expands the types of programs eligible for FRSAN grants to include mental health training for agriculture professionals (e.g., farm loan officers, extension agents, and state department of agriculture staff).