The
State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC)
has been awarded a $70,000 federal grant to develop
and implement an agricultural mediation program
to assist landowners in settling credit, right
to farm and other disputes, Agriculture Secretary
Art Brown, Jr., announced today. "Mediation is
an important tool for helping farmers work out
solutions to the often complex problems that arise
in running an agricultural operation," said Secretary
Brown. "By bringing all parties to the table, we
can focus on achieving a satisfactory solution
for all parties without a lengthy and expensive
legal process." "The mediation process will help
our farmers overcome the kind of problems that
otherwise could force them out of agriculture," said
Governor Whitman. "This program is important not
only for our farm families but for all New Jerseyans
who want to see our farmland remain open and productive." The
grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Farm Service Agency, which provides states with
matching grants to administer mediation programs.
Mediation is a process in which a trained, impartial
individual helps parties look at their mutual problems,
identify and consider options, and determine if
they can agree on a solution. A mediator has no
decision-making authority. Successful mediation
is almost always based on the voluntary cooperation
and participation of all the parties. It can save
both time and costly legal fees. Instead of taking
years for cases to filter through the courts, mediation
generally takes only a few meetings to complete.
The
SADC, which sponsored a three-day training session
this week for more than two dozen mediators,
will begin offering mediation services this month. |
