FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A federal grant awarded to Kentucky will support initiatives dealing with stress, mental health and suicide prevention in rural communities, state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said.

The $500,000 grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will allow Kentucky’s agriculture department to work with several partners to expand its efforts on those issues.

“Farmers face all sorts of physical risks in their day-to-day environment,” Quarles said. “But many don’t consider the incredible pressure on their mental well-being. This grant will enable the Department of Agriculture and our partners to help deliver resources to help our rural communities improve their health.”

The grant will allow the agriculture department to work with the University of Louisville School of Nursing, The Southeast Center for Agricultural Health & Injury Prevention and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, he said. The statewide effort will help farmers and agricultural producers with strategies to aid mental health awareness, he said.