An unknown number of women and Hispanic farmers in Vermont may have been improperly denied loans over a nearly 20 year period, beginning in 1981.
Now the Farm Service Agency in Vermont is trying to get the word out to help some of these farmers get the documents they need to apply for restitution.
Bob Paquin is the Director of the Farm Service Agency and he says farm programs and lending practices have not been immune to discrimination in the past.
The Farm Service Agency is hosting a series of Open House Informational Meetings for farmers who believe they may be eligible for restitution. Those meetings will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the following dates and locations:
November 1, White River Junction
November 8, St. Albans
November 14, Newport
November 28, Berlin
December 6, Middlebury
December 13, Rutland
For more information, go to the Farm Service Agency website.