Farmers seeking resources on how to deal with financial stress are invited to a special Land Stewardship Project (LSP) meeting Wednesday, April 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Peace United Church of Christ (1503 2nd Ave. NE) in Rochester. The event is free and open to the public, but please RSVP by contacting LSP’s Karen Stettler at 507-523-3366 or [email protected].
The meeting will feature a panel of experts who can address what resources, organizations, publications and programs are available for farmers dealing with financial stress. Panelists include: Jack LaValla of Minnesota Farm Business Management, Tim Gossman of Merchants Bank in St. Charles, Stephen Carpenter of Farmers’ Legal Action Group, and Connie Dykes with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Farm Advocates program.
Each of the panelists will bring relevant information and advice for farm families who are making important short and long-term decisions. After the panel and a Q & A, there will be time for attendees to sign up for one-to-one conversations with the panelists and network with other participants.
“It is important for farmers to know that they are not alone and they don’t have to try to solve all of the problems alone,” said Dykes. “There are people they can talk to for help and I just want more people to know about what exists.”
