Farmers to file by May 31 for non-starlink settlement
Posted 5/15/03

By PAUL MAHONEY
Regional Extension Educator

Farmers in Minnesota who harvested non-starlink corn in the year 2000 have until May 31, 2003 to file the proper paperwork to receive their portion of the $110,000,000 (plus interest) as a result of the Non-StarLink Farmerıs Class Action Settlement. ³Farmers who did not harvest non-starlink corn in 2000 but did in 1998, 1999, 2001, or 2002 are also eligible, but to a lesser degree,² said Regional Extension Educator Paul Carr.

Two types of payments are available to farmers under the settlement. The first is for those who suffered a loss from physical contamination of their crops or property while the grower owned the crop. Total claims under this type of payment are capped at $10,000,000. Many farmers who fit under this definition have already been compensated, either partially or wholly, for this physical contamination.

Carr says that most farmers will qualify for the second type of claim, the corn loss claim. The deadline to submit the corn loss claim is May 31, 2003. Farmers who harvested non-starlink corn in the year 2000 are eligible under this claim as a result of a loss of exports and market price due to the contamination of StarLink corn with other corn. It is difficult to estimate how much farmers will receive due to the uncertainty of the number of farmers that file and the acres they represent. An estimate published from the University of Illinois states that farmers could expect to receive $1 to $2, possibly more, for each acre of corn eligible.

Farmers who harvested corn need to obtain a report of acreage (FSA 578) from their FSA office and fill out the Corn Loss Claim Forms they received in the mail in February or March. If a farmer did not receive one or misplaced the one they received, a new form is available on the following website: http://www.non-starlinkfarmerssettlement.com

More information can be obtained by contacting the local University of Minnesota Extension Office. Extension staff have offered assistance to many farmers by helping them obtain new Corn Loss Proof of Claim Forms and by explaining the procedures for submitting these forms and the accompanying information. They will continue to be available to help farmers in this fashion through the May 31, 2003 deadline. More information is available on the following website: http://www.extension.umn.edu/county/faribault/