An agricultural mediation program that helps New Mexicans settle disputes over farm loans, grazing permits and eligibility for government farm programs won a five-year extension under recently signed federal legislation. Mediation provides an alternative to formal appeals and court battles. By providing a trained, neutral mediator, NMSU has helped dozens of New Mexicans find ways to settle disputes over agricultural loans, Sullivan said. The university also assists with disagreements over farm program compliance, such as eligibility for the Conservation Reserve Program, a federal effort to remove erosion-prone land from production in exchange for government payments.
Mediation is a process that works, and a process that keeps relationships intact.
Agricultural mediation programs in 25 states have been reauthorized through 2005. Nearly 4,700 clients across the country took part in agricultural mediation and more than 3,400 reached agreements through the program in fiscal year 2000, according to USDA statistics. USDA mediation programs began in 1987 as a response to the farm credit crisis of the 1980s, Sullivan said. Another advantage to mediation is that it typically stays the clock on administrative deadlines, Sullivan said. Even if participants fail to reach an agreement, they usually gain a better understanding of the issues involved, he said.