St. Paul, MN – Farm leaders say financial pressures are continuing to build across rural Minnesota.
The president of the Minnesota Farmers Union says producers need as many resources as possible to manage the ongoing downturn. Gary Wertish says lawmakers are considering updates this session to the state’s Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, a law first passed in the 1980s that requires mediation before lenders can foreclose on agricultural operations. He says there’s strong support to extend and strengthen the measure.
Wertish notes the program has a high success rate, with about 90 percent of mediation cases reaching some type of agreement, something he says even lenders now back. While a final number isn’t in yet, Minnesota saw well over 1,000 mediation cases in 2025, highlighting the growing strain in the farm economy.
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