Bill > HR0228

This resolution aims to designate December 15-21, 2025, as Michigan Farmers Suicide Awareness Week, highlighting the significant mental health challenges faced by agricultural workers in the state. The resolution acknowledges that Michigan's agriculture sector is crucial to the state's economy, but farmers are experiencing an alarmingly high suicide rate of 84.5 per 100,000 workers in 2023, compared to the statewide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 residents. In 2023, eleven people working in farming, forestry, or fishing died by suicide, with economic pressures playing a substantial role, as only 46% of Michigan's 44,000 farms reported a net positive income. The resolution identifies multiple contributing factors to farmers' mental health challenges, including rural isolation, unpredictable weather, fluctuating commodity markets, high debt loads, and the stress of maintaining generational farms. By establishing this awareness week, the Michigan House of Representatives seeks to draw attention to the mental health crisis, reduce stigma, mobilize community support, and encourage legislative and agency actions to provide mental health support for farm families.

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HR-0228