For many, updating Vermont's Act 250, a pivotal land-use law that remained largely unchanged for nearly three decades, seemed impossible. Deeply entrenched interests and divergent viewpoints stalled progress each time either side proposed changes. Over 50 years ago,...
A new Loan Readiness Toolkit aimed at helping farms and food businesses meet their financing needs is now available from agriculture lenders and service providers across New Hampshire. Preparing a loan application can be daunting and puzzling. This toolkit is designed...
The holiday season is typically a time of joy and connection. However, when interacting with people during family gatherings who have different viewpoints from you, conversations can arise that become unproductive or tense. To ensure that everyone around your dinner...
The Hawaiʻi Agricultural Mediation Program (HIAMP) today announced that farmers in the state of Hawaiʻi can now access free mediation services for a broader range of agricultural issues. Since 2012, HIAMP has helped farmers resolve disputes confidentially and for...
The California Agricultural Mediation Program (CALAMP) today announced that farmers in the state of California can now access free mediation services for a broader range of agricultural issues. Since 2015, CALAMP has helped farmers resolve disputes confidentially and...
Ever had a conversation that didn't go well, and afterward, you replayed all the ways it could have gone better? Let's face it; we've all been there. If you want to feel better when you walk away from a difficult conversation, check out this podcast episode from...
We all find ourselves in situations where we need to have tough conversations. No one wants to deal with conflict, yet it's important to remember that productive conversations are still possible, even when it seems like neither side is willing to budge. For farmers,...
The cost of everything, including farm supplies, seems to be going up. When a producer reached out to us about some debts recently, she was feeling overwhelmed about how to pay them off, especially with interest rates rising. One of our credit counselors...
Many people are generations removed from growing food for a living. They haven’t had a farmer in their family in decades and don’t understand some of the basic farming practices. Sixty years ago, most people interacted with a farmer regularly. Today, it is a rare...
Some people say New Year’s resolutions are overrated because they don’t need a time of year to remind them to focus on their goals. Here’s the thing though…setting intentions in the New Year is powerful. Evidence shows you’re more likely to go after something you want...
Farmers sometimes find themselves in a Catch-22 situation. They need to obtain supplies or equipment to get crops in the ground, but there’s a problem — they don’t currently have the operating capital to cover those expenses. A loan from USDA Farm Service Agency or...
The family farm is more than a business. For many Hawaiians, it is a way of life passed down generation to generation. Most families want to see that tradition continue, but often fears about causing conflict or making a difficult situation worse prevent families from...
The agricultural community is a place where most people know one another well. In some communities, farms go back generations with neighboring farms working side by side, season after season. Doing business on someone’s word and a handshake is still the way many...
Mediators generally refer to mediating “disputes” or “cases” because in most instances the parties are involved in some kind of dispute and litigation could even be pending. It may be that they disagree on the facts or how to apply the facts to a regulation. But in...
Would you trust a judge who is related to one party to be fair? Of course not and hopefully the judge would recuse him or herself from hearing the case. Would you trust someone who has an obvious agenda to help you resolve a dispute? Likewise, the answer is of course...
While a verbal promise may be acceptable in certain situations, what happens when memories fade or circumstances change? Years later, the parties may disagree on what exactly was promised or how to apply the verbal agreement to changed circumstances. As a result, in...
One reason mediation works is because the mediators take the time to prepare parties to constructively engage in mediation. In agricultural mediations, most often parties are not represented by an attorney and need some assistance before the session. The preparation...
Although most people think they know something about mediation, it remains a mysterious process to some. Often, people talk about mediation, arbitration, and negotiation almost interchangeably. Sometimes, others may confuse mediation and meditation. Mediation is the...
Mediation is often used as an alternate method of conflict resolution. Mediators are looked upon as crises responders swooping in at the last minute to disarm an explosive situation. In some cases this is true—news outlets often carry stories of union and management...