ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 17, 2009

LONGTIME FSA OFFICIAL TAKES MEDIATION POSITION

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has appointed Jim Hoffert, Rugby, as a negotiator with the North Dakota Agricultural Mediation Service (AMS).

“Jim comes to AMS after a long and extensive career with U.S. Farm Service Agency (FSA),” Goehring said. “That experience and knowledge will be very helpful both to his clients and to his AMS colleagues.”

Hoffert will conduct informal mediation, meeting directly with producers and their creditors to help them resolve disputes.

A native of Fillmore in Benson County, Hoffert graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics. He started with the Farmers Home Administration, the predecessor to FSA, in Rugby in 1971. He worked for the agency in Fessenden from 1972 to 1978, and was Sheridan County supervisor in McClusky from 1978 to 1982. From then until his retirement from the agency this year, Hoffert was Pierce County FSA loan program manager in Rugby.

Hoffert and his wife Debora live in Rugby. They have six children.

A division of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, AMS was established in 1984 to help financially distressed farmers and ranchers. AMS negotiators are trained to provide farmers with one-on-one assistance in credit and financial matters and resolving disputes.AMS annually provides mediation and negotiation services, counseling and other assistance to several hundred farmers on a broad range of subjects, including finances, beginning farmer loan applications, farm planning, farm production practices, seed disputes and disputes with federal and state agencies. AMS policies are established by the North Dakota Credit Review Board.

Agricultural producers can contact AMS at (800) 642-4752.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.

For a picture of Jim Hoffert in jpeg format, contact Ted Quanrud.