Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc.

A nonprofit organization

49% complete

$1,000 Goal

For 37 years, Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) has kept true to our mission to help family farmers and their communities with the legal services, guidance and support they need to weather crises and stay on the land.

In the past year our decades’ long commitment to family farmers and unique expertise was called upon as FLAG helped shape a historical response for farmers who have faced discrimination. 

Support FLAG Today!

FLAG Is a Lifeline for Family Farmers in Crisis

FLAG was established in 1986 in response to the farm credit crisis of the 1980s, when its founding legal aid lawyers helped win a landmark case preventing foreclosures for more than 80,000 family farms. Since then FLAG has delivered services that help family farmers weather crises and stay on the land, which include:

  • Outreach and education on laws and programs that help families sustain their farms; 
  • A national hotline offering free legal advice for family farmers;
  • Impact litigation that helps large numbers of family farmers by defending laws that protect them;
  • Legal services FLAG provides to farm advocacy organizations; and 
  • Resources and information on crucial disaster assistance programs to many family farmers every year. 

Every day, FLAG is contacted by farmers around the country with a broad range of legal needs. Every one of their requests has a common underlying thread: they have few, if any, options for legal help other than FLAG. FLAG is a critical line of defense – and in many cases the only line of defense – for small and medium-sized farmers who are an essential prerequisite for the transition to a food and agriculture system that is sustainable, equitable, healthy, and just.

FLAG is helping farmers who have experienced discrimination 

In July of this year, a significant piece of legislation was passed to address discrimination of farmer lenders in USDA programs – the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP). FLAG Guide to DFAP for Farmers This Program provides financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending prior to 2021. FLAG has been tapped as the main legal resource for the thousands of farmers seeking to access this program. Since the program’s launch we have educated and assisted more than 4500 farmers, partners and technical assistance providers through webinars, concise written guides and direct response through our hotline.

Addressing past discrimination is daunting and the process to apply for assistance is complex and confusing. FLAG will be here for farmers and continue to provide essential support needed for them to get relief. 

FLAG is providing clarity farmers need to access vital relief programs

FLAG’s ability to explain in plain language the complex provisions of government programs through guides and trainings has been crucial to helping thousands of farmers access the disaster and discrimination relief programs and helped farmers understand how they can benefit from them. In the last year FLAG published 12 Guides reaching more than 5500 farmers, advocates and technical providers. Here are a few highlights: 

Our attorneys have reached thousands of farmers, trainers and advocates providing more than 66 trainings in the last year that delved deep into critical issues that affect farmers.

FLAG is Helping to Build a Better Food System

By providing critical services for family farmers, FLAG is helping to build a food system that is more sustainable, healthy, local, just and humane,

If you care about who grows your food…

If you care about healthy food for you and your family…

If you care about building a sustainable environment…

If you care about fighting climate change and building climate resilience…

If you care about the well-being of our rural communities…

If you care about humane treatment of farm animals…

If you care about stopping agricultural consolidation…

If you care about opportunity and justice for disadvantaged and immigrant farmers…

Support FLAG today!

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc.

Tax id (EIN)

36-3431212

Categories

Community Economic Development Emergencies

Address

Suite 650 6 West Fifth Street
St Paul, MN 55102

Phone

(651) 223-5400

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