Another major problem faced by American farmers was mortgage foreclosure. Unable to make the monthly payments, many farmers were losing their property to their banks. Across the CORN BELT of the Midwest, the situation grew desperate. Farmers pooled resources to bail out needy friends. Minnesota and North Dakota passed laws restricting FARM FORECLOSURES. Vigilante groups formed to intimidate bill collectors. In Le Mars, Iowa, an angry mob beat a foreclosing judge to the brink of death in April 1933. –“The Farming Problem,” USHistory.org Why did Minnesota and North Dakota pass laws restricting farm foreclosures? They wanted farmers to no longer have the responsibility of paying mortgages. They wanted to help farmers who were struggling to make monthly payments. They wanted to take over farms from farmers who could no longer afford them. They wanted the banking industry to benefit from the changing prices of farm products.