Ohio has over 76,000 farms and 13 million acres of farmland. In such a large and diverse industry, conflicts commonly arise that can lead to disputes, litigation, and appeals. Ultimately, these conflicts can cause harmful effects that threaten the viability of Ohio agriculture.
Our new program aims to help. The goal of Ohio Farm Resolution Services at The Ohio State University (OFRS) is to cultivate solutions to the conflicts that impact Ohio's farms and farm families. Established in October of 2023 with funding from the USDA Farm Service Agency's Certified Mediation Program, OFRS will serve Ohio agriculture with a three-pronged approach to helping resolve farm conflicts that will provide:
- Educational resources on Ohio farm conflict issues.
- Conflict resolution and consultation services by OSU Extension legal and farm management specialists.
- Formal mediation services by trained mediators (available in January, 2024).
What issues will we cover? The types of issues OFRS will address include:
- Agricultural loans
- Compliance with farm programs and conservation programs
- Farmland and equipment lease issues
- Family farm transition
- Farmer-neighbor disputes
We've just begun to organize OFRS and will soon provide additional information on the program, but if you have a farm conflict issue we can help you with now, please e-mail program director Robert Moore at moore.301@osu.edu.
To learn more about the Farm Service Agency's Certified Mediation Program, visit fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/certified-mediation-program.
