Farmers facing financial or other conflicts may receive no-cost dispute resolution assistance through the Michigan Agricultural Mediation Program (MAMP).
Forty-two states have Agricultural Mediation Programs. Through a federal-state partnership each program receives a stipend from USDA. With this and other funding sources Agricultural Mediation Program services are offered at a very minimal cost or at no cost as with the MAMP. A not-for-profit organization, MAMP has been providing dispute resolution services to Michigan agriculturalists for 30 years.
“This existing federal-state partnership has a proven track record of providing confidential and neutral forums to discuss and resolve loan and credit issues between farmers and their lenders,” said US Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in a 2020 letter to former Secretary Perdue. “The program’s caseloads have steadily risen over the past eight years and can be expected to increase as the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic ripple through the rural economy.” Stabenow chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
In mediation, a trained, impartial mediator helps participants review and discuss their conflicts, identify options to resolve disputes, and agree on solutions. Ideally, this process helps avoid expensive and time-consuming administrative appeals and/or litigation.
Dispute types eligible for free services through the Michigan Agricultural Mediation Program may include these and others:
• Agricultural credit and loans
• Wetland determinations
• Compliance with farm programs, including conservation programs
• Crop insurance
• Organic certification
• Leases
• Family farm transitions
• Farmer-neighbor disputes
To make a confidential inquiry about MAMP services call 800/616-7863 and ask for Kate. Agricultural Mediation Program information is also available on the web at https://www.agmediation.org/
- Posted March 12, 2021
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Dispute resolution assistance is available for Michigan farmers
headlines Muskegon (Norton-Lakeshore)
- Attorney’s work includes multi-million dollar cases
- Muskegon Lumberjacks win regular-season finale, secure opening-round bye in Clark Cup playoffs
- Firms put the brakes on lateral hiring in 2023: falling 35% from 2022
- Michigan Law lecturer Betsy Fisher proposes solutions to the issue of stateless people
- ABA issues ethics guidance on avoiding conflicts with unretained prospective clients
headlines National
- Incarceration series includes female inmates but doesn’t tell full story
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Former DOJ official who alleged election fraud violated at least one ethics rule, ethics committee says
- Winston & Strawn will provide reduced-cost legal services for routine tasks under Winston Legal Solutions umbrella
- Should Justice Sotomayor retire? Chemerinsky, White House haven’t joined calls for her to step down
- Which BigLaw firms are increasing lateral associate hiring the most? One made legal headlines last year