Rep. French Hill voted to pass H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which passed the House by a vote of 224-200 and includes an amendment focused on studying mental health resources for farmers and ranchers, according to an April 30 statement.
The bill aims to address ongoing challenges faced by agricultural workers and their families. The included Farmer Assistance, Resilience, and Mental Health Evaluation Research Study (FARMERS) amendment directs the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network to study the availability and use of mental health services among farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals. The USDA will report its findings to Congress within one year.
“Farmers and ranchers have faced several brutal years in a row. Rising input costs, stagnant or falling commodity prices, historic floods, and now drought have tested the resilience of family operations across Arkansas and the country,” Hill said. “Congressional Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and the Trump administration has stepped up with direct relief. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 builds on that work to make sure our agriculture workers and farm families have the support they need.” He added: “I am also proud that my amendment in support of farm families was included in this farm bill. Too many farmers and ranchers are struggling in silence… This amendment aims to change that. It gives us the data and recommendations needed to build smarter solutions…”
The act increases funding for programs such as Market Access Program; strengthens broadband access for rural communities; updates loan limits for various USDA loans; supports agricultural research; expands benefits for beginning farmers; makes crop insurance more affordable; raises reference prices by up to twenty percent for commodities; raises estate tax exemptions; makes business income deductions permanent; provides disaster relief funds through programs like Farmer Bridge Assistance Program; addresses anti-competitive behavior in agriculture markets through executive action; opens new international markets.
French Hill is currently serving in U.S. Congress representing Arkansas’ 2nd district after replacing Tim Griffin in 2015 according to Wikipedia. He has served continuously since then according to his official biography. Born in Little Rock in 1956 at age sixty-six he continues living there as reported by Congress.gov. Hill graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
The broader impact centers on improved understanding about mental health challenges facing rural America’s farming community so that targeted solutions can be developed.
