The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making direct payments to minority ag producers that the government had previously discriminated against. But some advocates are hoping for more transparency about selection criteria and other information.

More than $2 billion is going to tens of thousands of farmers, ranchers and foresters, with 129 awards going to Missourians.

The USDA has a long history of discriminatory practices, including denying loans to Black and other minority farmers at greater rates than their white counterparts.

Sharon Mallory, executive director of the 2020 Farmers Co-op, said these payments are great, but the program could be improved.

"I'm not personally dazzled about numbers or dollar amounts unless I can connect that to the people that are being most impacted," said Mallory, "which is our our Black and small-scale farmers."

She said she wants the USDA to disclose its methodology for choosing applicants for these payments. Plus, more info about who reviewed the grants, and the racial demographics and farm sizes of the payouts.

The range of awards is large - between a few thousand dollars and a half-million dollars, with the average being about $82,000.

The money was authorized through the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, and the majority of the recipients are from the deep South.

Mallory said agriculture has been consolidating in recent decades and smaller minority farmers have often been forced out of business. She said she's pushing for the USDA's program to improve, in part because of this history.

"You can be like an ostrich and put your head in the hole, you can put your blindfolds on, you can turn your head the other way," said Mallory. "But the fact of the matter is, it did happen. It's documented. It's not a secret, so let's address it."

One study found that Black American farmers lost more than $300 billion worth of land in the 20th century, in part due to the USDA's discriminatory practices.




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Ever order a hamburger at a restaurant and wonder where the ingredients came from? Farmers in North Dakota and surrounding states are leaning on a new federal program to help ensure those menu items come from their operations.

This week, partners under the Regional Food Business Center for North Central States gather in Fargo to help small and mid-sized food and farm businesses navigate government resources. The virtual center is one of 12 across the country announced by the USDA over the past year.

Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, said some of the early funding went to North Dakota's Square One commercial kitchen, a rental space for culinary startups.

"Someone who's making jams, you can't afford a commercial kitchen just on your own," Moffitt pointed out. "What many folks will do is they'll come together and they'll say, 'We need a space in which to make our product that meets the different food safety requirements; also has the types of equipment that we need.'"

Another example is a family farm in North Dakota, specializing in pasture-raised poultry, receiving funds to expand its wildflower honey operations. The USDA has faced criticism for how it awards funding under separate initiatives, with money flowing to large-scale farms. But Moffitt noted requirements built into this program allow them to focus on under-resourced farmers and businesses.

Moffitt argued it is about more than awarding money and helping these farm and food businesses apply for other grants. She emphasized marketing expertise is another component, so places like restaurants and hospitals have more choices when buying food in bulk.

"It's choice for farmers and producers to be able to have more places that they can sell their product," Moffitt explained. "But also it's about choice for the buyers."

In the end, officials say building a more resilient and diversified food system benefits consumers, who might not feel the squeeze as much during future market disruptions. The north-central food hub covers North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. In its first year, more than $600,000 was awarded to local recipients, with application demand much higher.


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In a move to address historical injustices, the Biden administration announced $2 billion dollars in direct payments for Black and minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But for many in Florida, this aid comes too little, too late.

According to the USDA, more than 23,000 farmers have been approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. An additional 20,000 people who planned to start farms but did not receive USDA loans will get between $3,500 and $6,000, mostly in Mississippi and Alabama.

Courtney Wilson, president of the Florida Black Farmers and Agricultualists Association, said the assistance comes amid ongoing struggles for land and financial support in the Sunshine State.

"It's a move in the right direction," he said, "but it's kind of late because of the ones that was going through the process of getting loans and doing things that way - trying to buy tractors and land, and farm equipment and fertilizer - either sold their land or lost their land."

Loss of land is a significant issue. Wilson said many Black farmers who leased land have been forced out because of new developments, and finding new land to lease is becoming more difficult. He said he plans to visit his local USDA office for more details on how he and his members can tap into needed funds.

According to legal documents, the historical context of this struggle is rooted in systemic discrimination. During President Barack Obama's era, the Pigford Settlement provided $50,000 to Black farmers who were discriminated against. Wilson said that also came too late to make anyone whole.

"If you go back to the Pigford case, you gave those farmers $50,000," he said. "But when they lost 200 acres and lost their tractors and lost equipment, what's $50,000 going to do for the ones that lost their land? All we're doing is playing catch-up."

And yet, Wilson said he appreciates the little help that comes around, and he's hoping to attract more young people to farming so they can breathe new life into the industry.


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National Farmers Market Week is coming up next week, and in North Dakota, organizers say they're deeply invested in trying to keep customer interest strong.

In Devils Lake, Maureen Scott oversees Market In The Park, where each weekend through mid-fall, customers can load up on fresh fruits, vegetables and specialty products.

Over the past several years, she said, they've gone from fewer than ten vendors to more than 60. Scott said it takes a lot of phone calls and other marketing in the offseason to maintain that robust group of producers and vendors.

"I think people need to work on it year-round," she said, "because the season is over in October, [and] you need to start planning for next year Oct. 30."

Without that desire, she suggested coordinators risk losing the many age groups who have taken a liking to farmers markets in towns and cities across the country, including young adults. According to the USDA, there are more than 8,000 registered markets. That compares with fewer than 2,000 in 1994, although the growth rate began to slow prior to the pandemic.

Scott remains optimistic that her operation and other farmers markets in North Dakota will continue to thrive. She said a key for her team is to ensure the products sold are grown within a 60-mile radius, and not imported from other parts of the country.

"We don't want to support something from Michigan or Wisconsin," she said. "We want to support the local grower."

Demand for locally grown food by smaller producers comes amid a backlash against corporate consolidation within agriculture, heightening concerns about the environmental and economic impacts industrial farms can have on surrounding communities.


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