United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
NYSAMP is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the New York State Unified Court System Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Court Improvement. NYSAMP is independently managed by the New York State Dispute Resolution Association.
Customers of the USDA have the right to appeal certain adverse decisions by using mediation. NYSAMP gives producers and USDA representatives a flexible and confidential way to clarify decisions and problems, explore options, and, when possible, to develop workable solutions.
In New York, mediation is used by producers to appeal adverse decisions by the Farm Services Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD), including:
- FSA agricultural loans and loan servicing
- RD loans and loan servicing for rural housing
- conservation programs
- wetlands determinations
- crop insurance
- pesticides
- other situations which involve an individual producer and which, if not resolved, threaten the economic viability of the farm
