Farm Program Report to the Louisiana Interchurch Conference

March 5, 2007

 

Betty Puckett

Farm Advocate

 

Summary of Work and Activities since Fall Board Meeting in September, 2006

 

Hotline Calls:

I continue to receive hotline calls from farmers about their various farm problems.  I counsel them on alternatives to their individual situations.  Many times just having someone to talk to that understands their problem is helpful to the farmer.

 

Hands On Assistance:

 

When farmers call and need financial and legal assistance I do what I can to assist them. I represent farmers during meetings, mediation, and appeals with USDA, Farm Service Agency.  I assist them in completing financial statements and applications for loans or loan servicing.  Some issues are cash flows, shared appreciation agreements, loan servicing, debt settlements, administrative offset, treasury offset, homestead protection rights, discrimination complaints, jurisdictional issues for appeal, Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act appeals, accounting for security property and bankruptcy.

 

Activity Summary:

 

In 2006 much of my work revolved around Hurricanes’ Katrina and Rita. I answered hotline calls and assisted in getting grants to those individuals in the most need.  I attended three disaster trainings to assist others in becoming farm advocates. I traveled to Arkansas to assist Hmong poultry farmers with their FSA guaranteed loans. During 2006, I had cases with the following issues: assisted in completing applications for loan servicing, assisting with a NAD appeal regarding preservation loan servicing, working with a minority farmer who was denied a loan, assisted a young farmer in resolving a dispute with FSA who was able to get a loan for 2006 from a bank, counseled other farmers on alternatives to foreclosure, got documents released for individuals from their case files under the Privacy Act, assisted a deceased minority farmer’s family in applying for debt settlement of his FSA account, informed farmers about filing a Tort claim against FSA for failure to properly service their account.

 

In 2007 much of my work has centered around dairy farmers affected by Katrina. Many of the farmers had their FSA loan accounts informally deferred for one year. When the deferral ends, their accounts will be delinquent.  I am working to assist them with their applications for primary and preservation loan servicing.  Also, I am continuing to work with farmers on the same 2006 issues.