The purpose of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program is to establish a network that connects individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs. The establishment of a network that assists farmers and ranchers in time of stress can offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.
Farm Bill Information
Congress is currently developing the next Farm Bill. NIFA is still authorized to implement the program under the extension of its authorities. NIFA stands ready to execute Congressional Farm Bill language signed into law. Contingent on the new Farm Bill and future appropriations, NIFA anticipates the release of a competitive RFA in FY 2025. NIFA is still operating under the FY 2023 Continuing Resolution for FRSAN appropriations and will award the current regional lead institutions to extend their leadership role for an additional year.
Funding Priority
Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 5936, authorizes NIFA to establish a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network as follows: § 5936. Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network
In General – “The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall make competitive grants to eligible entities described in subsection (c) to establish a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network that provides stress assistance programs to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations.”
The authority for the FRSAN-State Department of Agriculture (SDA) is Public Law No: 116-260 Sec 766(a), 7 U.S.C. 5936 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
Eligibility
Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state; tribal; local or regionally-based network, or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities, as determined by the Secretary. These collaborations may include the following entities: Indian tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); State departments of agriculture, State cooperative extension services; and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). FRSAN-SDA applicants fund eligible State Departments of Agriculture.
| Project Director | Organization | Project Name | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace, H.S. | University of Tennessee Extension Knoxville, Tennessee | Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network: Southern Region | South |
| Don McMoran | Washington State University | Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program (WRASAP) | West |
| J. Rudolphi | University of Illinois - Urbana, Illinois | North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center: Engaging Programs to Support Producer Wellbeing | North Central |
| Jac Wypler | National Young Farmers Coalition | Building an Inclusive and Comprehensive Network for Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance in the Northeast | Northeast |
Regional FRSAN Websites
Applicant Webinars
APRIL 29, 2021
- Request a copy of the FY 2021 FRSAN Webinar Slide Deck
- Watch the FY 2021 FRSAN Webinar video (external link to YouTube)
MAY 6, 2020
- Request a copy of the FY 2020 FRSAN Webinar Slide Deck
- Watch the FY 2020 FRSAN Webinar video (external link to YouTube)
New Grantee Webinars
SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
- Request a copy of the FY 2021 FRSAN SDA Project Director Meeting Slide Deck
- Watch The Farm & Ranch Stress Assistance Network – State Departments of Ag Project Director’s Meeting (external link to YouTube)
Types of Projects
The FRSAN program will accept applications for Regional Networks.
The long-term goal of the FRSAN projects is to establish a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network that provides stress assistance programs to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations on a regional basis. Network members must initiate, expand, or sustain programs that provide professional agricultural behavioral health counseling and referral for other forms of assistance as necessary through the following:
- Farm telephone helplines and websites;
- Training including training programs and workshops;
- Support groups; and
- Outreach services and activities, including the dissemination of information and materials.
The Award Process
Awards will be made through a competitive grants process, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). All applications for funding must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. This process requires pre-registration which can take up to one month. We encourage all potential applicants to begin the registration process as soon as possible.
Reviewers from universities, government, community-based organizations, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and from the military, veteran, and farming/agribusiness community will provide peer assessment and recommend applications for funding.
Post Award Monitoring
Projects are required to acknowledge USDA-NIFA funding in all presentations, publications, news releases, etc. Projects are required to collect and submit outcome-based data to USDA-NIFA through annual reports. The annual Project Directors and Evaluators meeting provides opportunities for networking and sharing of best practices.