Dusty Johnson: “I rise on the floor of the Senate today to introduce bipartisan legislation to extend a popular program which provides…”

“I rise on the floor of the Senate today to introduce bipartisan legislation to extend a popular program which provides mediation services between agricultural producers and the various credit and United States Department of Agriculture agencies who family farmers and ranchers work with to maintain their operations. During the 1980's farm crisis, Congress authorized federal participation in a state farm mediation program. Originally authorized in the Agriculture Credit Act of 1987, mediation programs help agricultural producers and their creditors to resolve credit disputes (and other types of disputes) in a confidential and non-adversarial setting which is outside the traditional process of litigation, appeals, bankruptcy, and foreclosure. The mediators are neutral facilitators and they do not make decisions for the disputing parties. Federal legislation has encouraged state involvement by providing matching grant funds to the states that participate in the mediation program. Currently, 24 states participate, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.”