Black, Minority Farmers Receive Federal Grants Following Lending Program Discrimination - Articles

All Content


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Aug 6, 2024

Federal grants have been issued to more than 1,500 Black and minority farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in Tennessee who experienced discrimination in U.S. Department of Agriculture farm lending programs prior to January 2021, reports the Tennessee Lookout. Funds were granted to 626 producers and 958 individuals in the state who had planned to start a farming or ranching operation, for a total of 1,584 awardees. National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd called the payouts "historic" in a statement posted to the association’s website. While the statement describes the application process as “lengthy and complex, compounding the pain and frustration felt by many farmers,” Boyd said it was worth it in the end.