EQUITY AND RECTIFYING DISCRIMINATION

RECTIFYING DISCRIMINATION IN USDA PROGRAMS AND POLICIES 

A. Recommendations to USDA

Overview      

U-Farm and Home, LLC, a California-based producer cooperative owned and managed by people of color is working closely with a non-profit partner, the National Economic and Social Development Action Committee (NESDAC), to provide farmer, rancher, managerial and flexible worker training and related education to socially disadvantaged people who would like to become farmers, ranchers and flexible workers. Our beginning farmer, rancher and managerial training will be spearheaded by Dr. Garry Ford, former USDA/NRCS soil conservationist and organic farmer, and Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson, organic farmer, who will teach USDA approved practices, such as Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and National Organic Program (NOP) and related practices to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. This program will also offer long-term leasing and small farm and ranch ownership to our participating farmers/trainees.  

  

For convenience for this document, and because African Americans are the most at-risk, vulnerable and challenged farm group among socially disadvantaged and minority agricultural farmer groups. African Americans were the subject in NESDAC research and case studies for agricultural workforce development and racial equity, the term “African American farmers” is used in this project to encompass all such eligible persons including African American, Latino, Asian, Natives, women, Veteran, socially disadvantaged person or person with limited resource, and other underserved and underrepresented groups.  

1.  Rectifying discrimination in USDA programs and policies. 

The question is not whether the USDA has discrimination or agricultural racial equity problems. Yes, USDA has a very big and serious discrimination and agricultural racial inequity that have existed for a long time. The question should be are we truly sincere and committed to increasing the 5% of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (socially disadvantaged farmers) to 20%? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistic Service (NASS), 2017 report clearly shows the gap between white farmers and all other farmers including Black, Indigenous and People of Color. 95% of U.S. farmers are white. Any effort, program or policies, etc. not about closing the gap between white farmers and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color will be a total waste of time, resources and American taxpayer dollars. USDA's current policies for delivery and distribution of resources and services, which includes worker housing, farmer and worker training, employment, technical assistance, outreach, financing, etc. for socially disadvantaged farmers are in part, crafted around discrimination. Furthermore, there are not enough or no African American farm field personnel to work with African American farmers and ranchers who would identify with their concerns, worries, experiences or provide peer support in California. In order for the local USDA, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Congress to be successful in achieving practical and realistic agricultural racial equity and land access a good portion of the racial equity program needs to focus on 1) farmer and rancher and managerial training, 2) acquire large parcels of ready-to-farm land (40 to 1000 acres and larger) and divided up into small parcels (3 to 10 acres or more) through distribution long-term leasing and farm ownership of BIPOC farmers. USDA must begin by creating access to ready-to-farm land, worker housing, and farmer, rancher and managerial training.  

2.  Diversity and Cultural Awareness at USDA.

The present USDA service and resource delivery and distribution system lack diversity and inclusion because it does not have African Americans in its approved and contracted lending and guaranteed loan program, Intermediary Relending program, housing, training, technical assistance and outreach, etc. and does not reflect the post- Black farmer discrimination class-action suit settlement and today’s realities. African Americans are the most at-risk, vulnerable, challenged socially disadvantaged group. They do not have a developed farming community. They do not have established constituents to raise resources from. They do not have a developed peer support network. They do not have reliable market outlets (produce markets, etc.) to sell their agricultural crops and products as well as not being on the supply side of food and agricultural products.   

From the inception of America, African Americans have been an integral component of   American Agriculture through slave labor, forced/sharecropper labor, farmers and landowners. When Africans came to America about four hundred years ago (1619), they came from villages in various nations of Africa. They brought their farming experiences, knowledge and systems to America on which American farming and agriculture is based and the core of American social fabric. The skills and experiences in agriculture they brought to America along with sweat-labor have been the key assets to American Agriculture Industry. Their skills and slave labor helped the U.S. to establish and maintain its position as a world leader in agriculture production. Unequivocally, African American farmers were instrumental in the creation of the American Agriculture Industry and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and have contributed greatly to both the American Agriculture Industry and USDA’s growth, yet they have been routinely denied land, financing and other resources/benefits. USDA and financial institutions are hesitant to finance African American farmers.  

3.  History

The question is not whether the USDA has discrimination or agricultural racial equity problems. Yes, USDA has a very big and serious discrimination and agricultural racial inequity that have existed for a long time. The question should be are we truly sincere and committed to increasing the 5% of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (socially disadvantaged farmers) to 20%? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistic Service (NASS), 2017 report clearly shows the gap between white farmers and all other farmers including Black, Indigenous and People of Color. 95% of U.S. farmers are white. Any effort, program or policies, etc. not about closing the gap between white farmers and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color will be a total waste of time, resources and American taxpayer dollars. USDA's current policies for delivery and distribution of resources and services, which includes worker housing, farmer and worker training, employment, technical assistance, outreach, financing, etc. for socially disadvantaged farmers are in part, crafted around discrimination. Furthermore, there are not enough or no African American farm field personnel to work with African American farmers and ranchers who would identify with their concerns, worries, experiences or provide peer support in California. In order for the local USDA, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Congress to be successful in achieving practical and realistic agricultural racial equity and land access a good portion of the racial equity program needs to focus on 1) farmer and rancher and managerial training, 2) acquire large parcels of ready-to-farm land (40 to 1000 acres and larger) and divided up into small parcels (3 to 10 acres or more) through distribution long-term leasing and farm ownership of BIPOC farmers. USDA must begin by creating access to ready-to-farm land, worker housing, and farmer, rancher and managerial training.  

Two Financing Yardsticks – One for Black and Another for White  

African American farmers and entrepreneurs continue to face enormous impediments despite public/government publicized financing programs such as direct and guaranteed loans offered by USDA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for economically or socially disadvantaged farmers with limited resources. USDA, banks and lending institutions, and land trust organizations are afraid to take a chance with African American farmers or entrepreneurs because they have categorized African American farmers or entrepreneurs to be too high risk. USDA, banks, lending institutions, land trust organizations, and others, have a different yardstick to measure risk when it comes to financing and lending to or contracting with African American farmers or businesses. As we continue to study this phenomenon of financing the African American farmers, we have not found any study or factual statistical data that support the basis for the fear that financing or doing business with African American farmers or entrepreneurs is riskier than with other limited-resource farmers or entrepreneurs. Despite the African American farmers’ successful class-action lawsuit against USDA (1997-1999), African  American farmers lack access to credit, capital, technical assistance, farmer training, outreach, housing, product and market information, etc. and the ability to take advantage of cooperative marketing and purchasing or volume purchasing power.  

B. USDA Beginner Farmer and Rancher Program

Currently, USDA resource and service delivery and distribution system as well as farmer and rancher training programs in California were created for white farmers and ranchers and structured around the centuries-old ongoing racist and institutionalized discrimination system. 

Our universities, community colleges, farmer and rancher training organizations don't offer the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher and managerial training program to African Americans. Consequently, millions of young African American women and men today do not have the skills and experience that meet the USDA’s “3 years requirement” mandated by Congress to qualify as a Beginning Farmer and Rancher. Sadly, millions of young African American women and men who would like to enter the farming and food sector do not have the skills and abilities, and do not qualify or are not eligible for USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher farm ownership loan to acquire and operate a successful small farm or ranch. In short, these institutions/organizations in California do not have the experience of working with African Americans, and lack the ability or are not equipped to deliver appropriate beginning farmer and rancher training and education to African Americans at this time.  

  

Without training, access to land, the operation of a farm or ranch and production of agricultural crops or products to sell, African Americans will continue to be excluded from President Biden's agricultural racial equity billions of dollars and resources (set-aside money, grants, etc.) for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.   

  

The big three barriers facing BIPOC are training, land ownership, and home ownership 

1. Training

  • One of the three prominent barriers to aspiring farmers and ranchers of color is training. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and resource-poor aspiring farmers and ranchers need training and managerial experience required by USDA/FSA to obtain a "Beginning Farmer" farm ownership loan. Without training, they will have no skills and abilities to start and operate a small farm successfully or work on farms or ranches. No growers (employers) will hire employees without skills and experience. Without appropriate training and farming experience, socially disadvantaged women and men (youth, veterans, public welfare utilizers, Etc.) will face exclusion unjustly for agricultural employment and careers and farm ownership.  

  • Congress wrote into the law an additional three years farm management practical experience requirement. "These three years must be within ten years of the date of loan application". The three years of managerial experience qualified "Beginning Farmer or Rancher.” Understandably, Congress is not aware of the additional barrier to socially disadvantaged and resource-poor that the unfunded three-year managerial requirement created. USDA and U.S. Congress must fund this three years farmer or rancher and managerial experience law/mandate.  

  • The members of U-Farm and Home, LLC propose a viable route achieving the intent and goal of the "law" three-year practical farming, or ranching and managerial experience, and knowledge requirement mandate by Congress; would be fully funded 1) farm-based farmer, rancher, managerial and flexible workforce training sites/centers and 2) agricultural work voucher.  

  • Without funding and necessary resources to acquire and operate farm-based farmers and ranchers, training sits, BIPOC and socially disadvantaged aspiring farmers and ranchers will continue to lack the skills, experience, and abilities to activate a successful small farm or ranch or work on farms and ranches. Consequently, the Black, Indigenous, People of color (BIPOC) and resource-poor will continue exclusions unjustly for agricultural employment and careers.  

2. Land Access.

  1. The most significant barrier over training to consider about people of color, mainly African Americans entering and conducting small farm operations, is access to ready to farm land. Historically, farmers of color lacked access to land, in part, due to prejudice and discrimination. They have little to no farm family tied. Unlike BIPOC and other socially disadvantaged and resource-poor aspiring farmers and ranchers, most white (Caucasian) aspiring farmers and ranchers have farm families tied and are six-generation or come from a long lineage of farming background, equipped with assets. When a young white aspiring farmer or rancher goes to the USDA/FSA office or local bank to apply for a loan, she or he accompanied by a relative/family member or a friend who is a farmer and with an established relationship (past or ongoing) to the bank or USDA/FSA office. In some cases, the young white aspiring farmer may have had a youth agricultural loan from FSA and therefore established a track record or a relationship with FSA or the bank through family/relative ties. This privileged association can help get their loan deal done. There are many privileges and opportunities available to aspiring white farmers; in part, there is a motivation, interest, and desire on the FSA or bank staff making the loan due to those reasons mentioned above. Getting started in farming without land and financial resources proves to be extremely difficult, given the history of Black, Indigenous, and People of color farmers facing discrimination in the agricultural sector.  

3. Housing and Home Ownership.

The third challenge is the agricultural workforce housing and home ownership. Housing and home ownership will be the key (incentive) for attracting urban American inner-city youths and resource-poor women and men to work on American farms and ranches. The shortage of safe, decent worker housing and homeownership and the lack of younger growers/producers and flexible/seasonal farmworkers in California and nationwide are directly intertwined. 

C. Updates Needed to USDA’s Agricultural Racial Equity-related Community Outreach   

U-Farm and Home LLC (UFH) is proposing that USDA establish and promote community based community outreach and education that addresses the plights of African American and the general Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) agricultural integration and rural community assimilation difficulties. One of the many practical, effective and realistic approaches to bring about agricultural racial equity would be the establishment of community-based farmer outreach workshop projects by USDA where farmers and public/underserved communities can come together. These workshops may be held both at USDA facilities and local BIPOC communities like community centers. In the first year, they may conduct these workshops every 3 months and as necessary. Activities at these workshops/events may include but are not limited to:

  1. USDA loan and grant programs, the application process,

  2. Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), crop insurance, etc.,

  3. Banks and USDA approved lending/intermediate lending institutions should be included in these community outreach workshops, and

  4. USDA staff/employees and BIPOC farmers and their community can socialize and build trust. These outreach workshops would be an effective tool aimed to create "cross-social experience dynamics”.    

D. Socially Disadvantaged Programs.    

Programs such as USDA and U.S. Congress programs like Beginning Farmer Farm Ownership  

Loan, Farm Ownership, Down Payment program, Land Contract, Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program, Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach, 2501 program, etc. that have set aside millions of dollars annually to spend on socially disadvantaged groups that were falsely assumed to have included or benefited blacks, indigenous and other socially disadvantaged people.     

Thank you for reviewing our comments regarding Advancing Racial Justice and Equity and Support for Underserved Communities at USDA