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Regaining Black farmers’ trust is “challenging," says advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture

After the loan repayment assistance program was scrapped, the USDA is having trouble regaining the trust of Black farmers.
"I've heard it said that when other farmers get a cold, Black farmers get pneumonia," said Dewayne Goldmon, senior advisor for racial equity to the Secretary of Agriculture.
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These NY farmers are building a space to teach Black people about farming

Jan 12, 2023
Ashanti Williams and Arian Rivera of the Black Yard Farm Collective talk about moving their farm to a new location and working with kids.
"It's a just kind of getting reacquainted with — or getting acquainted with — new land and building infrastructure," Ashanti Williams says of relocating the Black Yard Farm Collective.
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Black farmers' lawsuit points to limited remedies for past discrimination

Oct 13, 2022
A program to address USDA discrimination against Black farmers was revised after white farmers said it discriminated against them.
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2 Black farmers promote resilience for food, land and people

Nov 22, 2021
Ashanti Williams and Arian Rivera of the Black Yard Farm Collective talk about agricultural practices and building community.
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After years of setbacks, socially disadvantaged farmers get debt relief

Jun 10, 2021
Dewayne Goldmon of the Agriculture Department sees the aid as narrowing the economic gap between farmers of color and white farmers.
A federal program to provide aid to farmers of color was broadened by the recently-passed climate bill and now omits references to race.
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New generation is helping to revive Black-owned farms

Feb 2, 2021
Black farmers have struggled, but young entrepreneurs are finding ways to support them.
Gabrielle E.W. Carter and Derrick Beasley of Tall Grass Food Box, which strengthened Black growers' supply chain to get fresh food to customers.
(Photo by Leoneda Inge)

Black farmers face a slew of systemic challenges

Jan 12, 2021
Unfair pricing and land loss are just a few reasons the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund formed decades ago.
"We've had co-ops in Mississippi that knew they got less for their collard greens then their neighbor did," Cornelius Blanding says. "So they had to form a cooperative so that they can ship their products to Chicago to get a better price. That's been a reality for Black farmers for centuries."
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