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3 Tips for Harmonious Conversations at Holiday Gatherings

3 Tips for Harmonious Conversations at Holiday Gatherings

The holiday season is typically a time of joy and connection. However, when interacting with people during family gatherings who have different viewpoints from you, conversations can arise that become unproductive or tense. To ensure that everyone around your dinner...

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5 Tips for Passing the Farm to the Next Generation

5 Tips for Passing the Farm to the Next Generation

Some people say New Year’s resolutions are overrated because they don’t need a time of year to remind them to focus on their goals. Here’s the thing though…setting intentions in the New Year is powerful. Evidence shows you’re more likely to go after something you want...

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Helping Us Help You: Resolving Credit Issues

Helping Us Help You: Resolving Credit Issues

Farmers sometimes find themselves in a Catch-22 situation. They need to obtain supplies or equipment to get crops in the ground, but there’s a problem — they don’t currently have the operating capital to cover those expenses. A loan from USDA Farm Service Agency or...

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Overcoming a Verbal Agreement that Goes Wrong

Overcoming a Verbal Agreement that Goes Wrong

The agricultural community is a place where most people know one another well. In some communities, farms go back generations with neighboring farms working side by side, season after season. Doing business on someone’s word and a handshake is still the way many...

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Mediating a “Dispute” When All the Parties Get Along

Mediating a “Dispute” When All the Parties Get Along

Mediators generally refer to mediating “disputes” or “cases” because in most instances the parties are involved in some kind of dispute and litigation could even be pending. It may be that they disagree on the facts or how to apply the facts to a regulation. But in...

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The Art and Importance of Impartiality

The Art and Importance of Impartiality

Would you trust a judge who is related to one party to be fair? Of course not and hopefully the judge would recuse him or herself from hearing the case. Would you trust someone who has an obvious agenda to help you resolve a dispute? Likewise, the answer is of course...

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The Mediator’s Role in Preparing Settlement Documents

The Mediator’s Role in Preparing Settlement Documents

While a verbal promise may be acceptable in certain situations, what happens when memories fade or circumstances change? Years later, the parties may disagree on what exactly was promised or how to apply the verbal agreement to changed circumstances. As a result, in...

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Deconstructing the Mediation Process

Deconstructing the Mediation Process

Although most people think they know something about mediation, it remains a mysterious process to some. Often, people talk about mediation, arbitration, and negotiation almost interchangeably. Sometimes, others may confuse mediation and meditation. Mediation is the...

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Mediator as Problem Solver

Mediator as Problem Solver

Mediation is often used as an alternate method of conflict resolution. Mediators are looked upon as crises responders swooping in at the last minute to disarm an explosive situation. In some cases this is true—news outlets often carry stories of union and management...

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