Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2023 / Presidential Documents 65111 

Proclamation 10626 of September 15, 2023 

National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2023 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

America’s farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers are the backbone of our Nation. 

They feed our families, power much of our economy, and help America 

lead the world. We owe them the dignity and certainty of knowing they 

are safe on the job. During National Farm Safety and Health Week, we 

renew our Nation’s commitment to protecting the well-being of everyone 

who works in agriculture. 

The prosperity that American farms provide our Nation can come with 

great personal risk. Agriculture has long been one of our most dangerous 

industries, with nearly six times as many fatalities as other industries, often 

due to tractor rollovers and road accidents while moving equipment from 

farm to field. Heavy labor, unsafe pesticides, extreme heat and weather, 

volatile markets, and other uncertainties can cause stress and injury. At 

the same time, nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed since 2005, making 

it harder to find emergency treatment and health care in agricultural areas. 

When I ran for office, I promised to be the most pro-worker President 

in history and to get rural communities the resources they need to keep 

everyone healthy and safe. My Administration has fought to keep workers 

safe on the job—including issuing the first-ever Heat Hazard Alert, ramping 

up enforcement of heat-safety violations, increasing inspections in highrisk industries like agriculture, and working toward a national standard 

for workplace heat-safety rules. The Department of Agriculture is investing 

$500 million in American Rescue Plan funds in rural health care services 

so more Americans can get needed care closer to home. The Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law is investing $65 billion in broadband, boosting access 

to remote telehealth services. The Inflation Reduction Act is slashing health 

care coverage premiums and prescription drug prices for seniors. At the 

same time, we have proposed new rules to require health insurers to cover 

mental health care the way they would anything else, moving toward real 

mental health parity. We have opened 140 new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and launched the nationwide Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 

(9–8–8) connecting those in crisis to trained counselors by phone, text, 

or chat. 

Meanwhile, my Administration is also focused on growing the rural economy 

more broadly. We are getting States the funds they need to expand access 

to small and midsized meat and poultry processing so producers have a 

better shot at fair prices. We are harnessing the bioeconomy and creating 

new revenue streams for farmers by supporting new and innovative products, 

like plant-based packing materials and sustainable aviation fuels. Throughout, 

we are making sure small and midsized farmers and ranchers have a chance 

to succeed right where they are from so the wealth they generate stays 

in their communities and their children can keep farming, building a stronger 

rural economy long-term. 

America’s farms, farmworkers, and ranchers represent the best of our Nation. 

Working together, we can make sure they have all they need to live healthy 

and safe lives. 


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65112 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 17 through 

September 23, 2023, as National Farm Safety and Health Week. I call upon 

the people of the United States—including America’s farmers; ranchers; 

and agriculture-related institutions, organizations, and businesses—to reaffirm a dedication to farm safety and health. I also urge all Americans 

to express appreciation and gratitude to our farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers for their tireless service to our Nation. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day 

of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and 

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 

and forty-eighth. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20605 

Filed 9–20–23; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F3–P 


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