Agricultural News
Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program Looking to Help Producers Deal with Drought
Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:46:29 CDT
Andrea Braeutigam of the Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program spoke this week at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Drought Summit. We sat down with her after her presentation and discussed how the mediation process can be beneficial to farmers and ranchers in dealing with stress, especially in a year like 2011.
Many farmers and ranchers across the state have had to deal with the issue of deciding to sell off cattle herds and others have lost a multitude of crops, which has caused added pressure and stress. Braeutigam says the Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program is really working on getting people at the table to work together before the stress gets to an intolerable point.
The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program usually works with USDA agencies and their customers, as well as, any farmer or rancher and their lenders says Braeutigam. The goal at the end of the mediation process is for the clients to have a written settlement agreement between the producer and the USDA agency or other party about how they are going to restructure their loan says Braeutigam.
The mediation process has had a fairly good success rate with about 85% to 92% settlement rates, according to Braeutigam. Candidates that are eligible for participating in the mediation process are any producers in Oklahoma that have received an adverse termination letter from the USDA or any other lendor, creditor, or borrower. Also, if a farmer or rancher is delinquite on a farm loan or dealing with a conservation contract, they are also eligible.
Click on the LISTEN bar below to hear the rest of Ron Hays and Andrea Braeutigam's discussion on the Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program and how it will be beneficial to producers after this drought year.
For more information on the Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program or to find out if you are eligible, visit their website by clicking here.
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