The Farmer’s Lawyer: The North Dakota Nine and the Fight to Save the Family Farm

In The Farmer’s Lawyer, any image of farmers enjoying a rural life without stress, far from city woes, is sorely misplaced. After the early 1970s, when farmers rode high as Russian harvests had failed and US commodities were in demand, it looked like the good times had come. But no: Russia revived and middle-size farms were squeezed out as industrial farming encroached. Land values that had risen by up to 400% now plummeted.

Author Sarah Vogel details the trials in and out of the courtroom confronted by the farmers threatened with foreclosure of their farm for delinquent repayment of loans, their legal options for deferment often ignored or not explained. She doesn’t hesitate to name individuals and agencies responsible for the challenges, primarily the Farmers’ Home Administration (FmHA). Although welcomed when launched in the Depression era, it is perceived as the transgressor, changing sides as it were.

After decades of farmers frequently defeated in their legal battles, Vogel has collated the documents on her desk from court cases, agency interference, and scraps of paper with phone messages and the like. Her saga deserves recognition and respect and noting the extra obstructions confronted by indigenous farmers, a shameful revelation.