FARMVA Now Offers Free Credit Counseling

FARMVA Now Offers Free Credit Counseling

The Farm Agricultural Resources and Mediation of Virginia recently added credit counseling to their available services.

Cullowhee, NC – March 17, 2022 – The Farm Agricultural Resources and Mediation of Virginia (FARMVA) has recently added credit counseling services free of charge to agricultural producers in Virginia. The credit counselors will interview farmers to evaluate their financial position, specifically about their credit concerns and future opportunities.

FARMVA is excited to offer credit counseling in the hopes that it will prevent foreclosures and be an asset the agricultural community can utilize, in addition to mediation. The credit counselors are also qualified to advise producers in decision-making about various agribusiness projects. All information shared with the counselors will remain confidential and should mediation be the next step in the process, they will not be involved in the mediation.

Credit counseling will provide private, confidential meetings that will show producers their resources and help them to create a current plan regarding their financial standing for now and in the future. What can agricultural producers expect in a credit counseling meeting?

• Bring relevant information to the counselor regarding your agricultural financial situation – provide your income, budget, assets, expenses, etc.
• The counselor will pull your credit report for current debts and loans
• The counselor will then create a debt management plan if needed
• Both producer and counselor will work together to create a personalized future financial plan that is manageable and realistic for your farm.

FARMVA’s credit counseling program will allow for peace of mind for agricultural producers while also creating achievable financial plans. Please click here to learn more about credit counseling and to meet our counselors!

To be put in contact with a credit counselor or mediator, please contact our Mediation Director, Judith Ogden, at jogden@wcu.edu or dial 404-277-8515.

NCAMP and FARMVA

NCAMP and FARMVA are grant-funded programs for North Carolina and Virginia that provide agriculture mediation services involving disputes with USDA agencies and those in the agricultural community. Mediation offers a confidential, voluntary, impartial setting to solve disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner.

For more information about agricultural mediation and to meet our mediators please visit Mediation Information and Mediators.

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