The President revealed on Wednesday that the Biden administration had awarded over $2 billion in direct payments to Black and other minority farmers who were subjected to discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA reports that over 23,000 farmers received approval for payouts ranging from $10,000 to $500,000.
An additional 20,000 individuals who intended to establish a farm but were not granted a USDA loan were given between $3,500 and $6,000.
Mississippi and Alabaman farmers received the majority of the money.
The aid “is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but an acknowledgment by the department,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters.
For a very long time, the USDA has denied Black farmers’ loan applications, approved lesser loans than those given to White farmers, and in certain circumstances, expedited foreclosure when Black farmers who received loans encountered difficulties.
Laptops 1000John Boyd Jr., the president and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, stated that the aid is beneficial. But it’s insufficient, he claimed.
Boyd compared it to “putting a bandage on somebody who needs open-heart surgery.” “I want to be extremely clear that we want our land.
Boyd continues to defend a federal lawsuit that Congress approved in 2021, seeking 120% debt relief for Black farmers.
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus plan contained five billion dollars for the program.
However, the money never materialized. Judges quickly put an end to the program as white farmers in multiple states filed lawsuits claiming their exclusion violated their constitutional rights.
Congress changed the statute and provided financial assistance to a larger group of farmers to avoid the possibility of a protracted legal struggle that would postpone payments to farmers.
A new law set aside $2.2 billion to compensate farmers discriminated against by the USDA and $3.1 billion to assist farmers suffering from loans sponsored by the agency.
Black farmer Wardell Carter claimed that since his father purchased 85 acres (34.4 hectares) of Mississippi land in 1939, no one in his agricultural family has ever had access to a loan application.
He threatened to have the door slammed in his face by USDA loan inspectors. Carter threatened to send authorities to the homes of Black farmers if they persisted.
Thanks to a loan, Carter’s family relied on a horse and mule for years before purchasing a tractor. Additionally, the family could only farm 40 acres (16.2 hectares) of their land without the right equipment, which would have increased income.
Carter stated that the interest rate on the bank loan they eventually obtained to purchase a tractor was 100%.
Boyd claimed to have witnessed loan applications being torn up and thrown in the trash, to have heard racist slurs directed at him, and to have been instructed to leave loan meetings midway so the officer could talk to white farmers.
Boyd stated, “We experience overt, direct, discrimination.” And I personally did as well. During a loan discussion, the county official issuing farm loans spat tobacco juice on me.
Carter claimed he was too old to farm his land at 65 years. However, he stated that he will utilize whatever funds he receives from the USDA program to improve his land so his nephew can start farming there.
Carter stated that his family and he would like to help his nephew purchase a tractor.
