Certified State Mediation Programs and participate in those programs.
Agricultural mediation is a way of settling disputes within a producer s own means.
The program provides a neutral mediator who can resolve problematic issues. Instead of the years it can take for a case to filter through the courts, mediation generally takes only a few meetings to complete. Mediation helps resolve many different areas of agricultural disputes, including farm loans, wetland determinations, conservation compliance, and pesticides. In addition to formal mediation services, most of the certified States provide mediation training and consultation services to producers, lenders, and USDA agencies. A critical feature of mediation is confidentiality in working out differences concerning farmers and ranchers business operations.