Black Farmers USA

10/09/2023

Great day at the Community Garden today! He may call it Kemet CUcu, but we know when we see 'em 🥹☺️ Clayborne Shannon!

09/09/2023

ONE BODY, DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS

08/09/2023

1900-1920 - Black America's Land Loss

08/09/2023

Invest in incentivizing farm transition and preventing land loss in communities of color.

08/09/2023

https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-ernst-introduce-bill-to-expand-financing-opportunities-for-the-next-generation-of-farmers-and-small-and-mid-size-manufacturers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan...

01/09/2023

The year the state evicted my family from our home and property, America celebrated its bicentennial.

Glenda Simmons-Jenkins describes the cultural displacement her community experienced after State Road A1A cut through her neighborhood in 1976.

29/08/2023

SAVE THE DATE!

29/08/2023

Most farm innovation schemes today are not focused on which traditionally were supported by forestry, which could be a profitable source for seeking more sustainable growth in an ecosystem that reduces friction beneficial to the farmer.

18/08/2023

Growing up, I heard rumors that in the 1960s, an alligator snapper was found with a Civil War bullet embedded in its shell — a tall tale, probably, but one born from the turtle’s real life span: up to 100 years. Much like the Suwannee itself — one of the least obstructed and least polluted rivers in the United States — the turtle looks much the same as it did millions of years ago.

As a child, Stephenie Livingston encountered an alligator snapping turtle in the dark waters of the Suwannee River. When she became a science journalist later in life, she realized the alligator turtle was a symbol of the resilience of the river itself.

26/07/2023

26/07/2023

CALLING ALL

THE PLATFORM IS YOURS 🐢

18/07/2023

Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act authorized $2.2 billion in financial assistance to farmers and ranchers who experienced discrimination in USDA farm loan programs prior to Jan. 1, 2021, according to DFAP officials. The application is free and the deadline to apply is Oct. 31.

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18/07/2023

Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP)

18/07/2023

Farmers and ranchers who have experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending have the opportunity to receive up to $500,000 of financial assistance.

“The federal government and the state of Florida is making an attempt to right its wrongs today,” Hinson said. “The opening of the application process shows its commitment to giving money to those who have been discriminated against. Let’s make sure they stand good on their promise. Let’s thank them (the Windsor Group) for the service they are embarking on.”

Albert Fuller is a farmer based in Levy County who was recently recognized as Florida’s 2022 Jon Gould Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year.

Farmers and ranchers who have experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending have the opportunity to receive up to $500,000 of financial assistance.

18/07/2023

James and Rebecca Perkins were one of the Jonesville pioneer African American families...The couple owned 40 acres northeast of Dudley Farm where they raised eight children and came from Camden, South Carolina, as enslaved African workers,” DuPree said. “By bringing the house here, it will be used to educate visitors about the lives and accomplishments of African American families during the 19th and 20th centuries.”

The informational displays at the park have glossed over the fact that the place was a plantation run on enslaved labor.

Phillip Benjamin Harvey Dudley and his wife Mary founded the homestead/plantation in 1855. They moved, like many other plantation owners in Alachua County at the time, from South Carolina and brought the enslaved with them.

Dudley was also a slave trader, uprooting enslaved people in South Carolina to sell to plantation owners here.

The home of a former enslaved family has been donated to Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Newberry, which on Saturday hosted an event to recognize its listing on the National Historic Landmark registry..

12/07/2023

https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/first-quarter-2021/black-owned-banks-communities-they-serve

Black-owned banks have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their communities and could play a vital role in equitable economic recovery.

12/07/2023

Black farmers have gone from owning 16-19 million acres of farmland, an all-time high in 1919, to owning less than 2% of the agricultural land today.

This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide a variety of assistance to address historical discrimination and disparities in the agricultural sector.

For example, the bill establishes an equity commission in USDA to examine discrimination by the agency against Black farmers and ranchers and recommend actions to end the systematic disparities in the treatment of Black farmers and ranchers.

USDA must also establish a Farm Conservation Corps to provide young adults who are from socially disadvantaged groups with the skills necessary to pursue careers in farming and ranching.

The bill provides funding for historically Black colleges and universities to commence and expand courses of study that are focused on careers in agriculture or related disciplines.

The bill also increases the authorization of appropriations for a program to resolve issues relating to the ownership and succession of farmland . Additionally, it expands credit assistance for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Further, the bill:

(1) establishes that a minimum of 50% of a covered packer's (not including a packer that owns only one livestock processing plant) daily volume of livestock slaughter must be purchased through spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers;
(2) increases funding for the Local Agriculture Market Program; and
(3) gives priority to farmers and ranchers for conservation technical assistance, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Rural Energy for America Program.

yet,

12/07/2023

WHY ARE AN ISOLATE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE?

According to the - Natural Resources Conservation Services Farmers who aim to apply for Conservation Innovation Grants should leverage the "SET-SIDE FUNDS" specifically made for Historically Underserved producers.

"Groups" are defined by the USDA as “Historically Underserved” (HU) because these groups have been historically underserved by USDA. To work toward righting historical wrongs, a variety of USDA programs provide special advantages to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners that fall into one of the groups below, which are included in the USDA’s HU definition.

Now, who else falls under this special "race/ethnic" classification...

1. Beginning Farmer or Rancher – new to farming or ranching, or, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years.

2. Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher – a member of a group whose members have been (subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of that group) without regard to their individual qualities.

These GROUP MEMBERS include:

- American Indians or Alaskan Natives
- Asians
- Blacks or African Americans
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders
- Hispanics

3. Veteran Farmer or Rancher – has served in the armed forces and has not operated a farm or ranch, has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10-consecutive years, or first obtained veteran status during the last 10 years.

For the CIG Classic program, the following groups are eligible to apply to the HU set aside:

(1) Historically Underserved producers;
(2) community-based organizations comprised of or representing historically underserved producers; and,
(3) entities proposing projects that involve historically underserved producers and for which the benefits of the project flow entirely to historically underserved producers.

Is this the same playbook used over a century ago?

11/07/2023

A - On December 22, 1865, in an effort to remove “false and mistaken impressions” held by both planters and , General Davis Tillson issued wage guidelines that both parties were expected to follow. Under the new rules, freedmen had the right to choose their own employers, but those freedmen who refused to sign contracts after January 10, 1866, “where employers offer good wages and kind treatment,” had to accept contracts that the Bureau made for them.

In upper and middle Georgia, where the land was poor and unsuited for raising large quantities of crops, Tillson instructed his officers to secure contracts paying men $12–$13 per month, and $8–$10 dollars per month for women. Freedmen were to provide for their own clothing and medicines.

In other parts of the state and along the coast and ( ), where “good crops” could be raised, men were to be paid $15 per month, including board and lodging, and women $10 per month.

In areas where planters preferred to pay a share of the crop, the order required payment of “from one-third the gross to one-half the net proceeds.”

Realizing that not all planters would comply with his new wage guidelines, Tillson instructed his subordinates to call on the military to enforce his orders whenever necessary. He was aware in spite of his orders, many of the contracts being signed, even some approved by his own agents, were substandard and not in compliance with his wage schedule. He made clear to both his agents and the planters that such contracts would not be recognized. To emphasize the importance of and his commitment to fair contracts and compensation for freedmen, Tillson offered transportation to freedmen to such areas as southwest Georgia and the Mississippi Valley where wages were higher.

***** In a November 1866 report to Commissioner Howard, Tillson indicated that he had issued 381 orders for transportation for some 2,947 men and 1,013 children.

By the end of 1866, freedmen owned 57 schoolhouses and provided support for 96 of the 127 schools in the state. By the spring of 1867, Freedmen's (which included , African-descent, and ) contributions sustained some 104 schools and teachers and more than 3,000 students.

(RECORDS OF THE FIELD OFFICES FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA, BUREAU OF REFUGEES, FREEDMEN, AND ABANDONED LANDS, 1865–1872)

11/07/2023

One stop of the to a place once known as the GRAVEsend; in the of Zouck...in 1797 the people nurtured oRISHa in the sandy soils of the Low Country to perfection south of the 33rdParallel with black and green-seed cotton.

08/07/2023

Well, let's see how impacts is this time around...😀☺️

The Biden administration opened its $2.2 billion relief plan for Black farmers and others who've faced discrimination from USDA programs.

08/07/2023

The rich soil of the Arkansas Delta takes its minerals from the Mississippi River that winds in circuitous patterns between the state and its neighboring

08/07/2023

1818-1976 - Land Records, Deed, Dept of Pensions lead to Slaveholding Ancestor, then Wills and Probate for the county he lived in for the receipts indicating his enslaved/indentured properties

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08/07/2023

08/07/2023

The community farm takes a lot more lovin' than normal to adapt to but we continue to push through. What's in your garden? . Clayborne Shannon

01/07/2023

Farmers in CT say acquiring land is one of their biggest challenges. Rep. Joe Courtney wants to address that issue in the new Farm Bill.

27/05/2023

We are still blooming,
and thriving!

27/05/2023

All farmers should be equipped with a foundation on and rights.

11/03/2023

RAFI-USA challenges the root causes of unjust food systems, supporting and advocating for economically, racially, and ecologically just farm communities.

16/12/2022

In 1920 there were 925,000 , accounting for 14% of all US farmers. Today there are roughly 45,000. White farmers, too, declined over the last century (due to farm consolidations, primarily). But this was not an equal decline. Had Black farmers faced attrition at the same rate as White farmers, there would be at least 250,000 more Black farmers today.

Well-documented discrimination and racism at the US Department of Agriculture accounts for much of the disparity. For example, in 1965, the US Commission on Civil Rights observed that Black farmers didn’t receive the loans and other assistance given to White farmers in similar economic circumstances.

The consequences are an economic tragedy. In the early 1900s, Black families owned almost 20 million acres of farmland, the largest amount of property that Black Americans would ever own. By 1997, they had lost 90% of it. According to one recent study, the lost wealth and income amounts to at least $326 billion.

13/03/2022

A new day...

30/10/2021

are innovating farming methods that remain at the core of sustainable agriculture today despite systemic and cultural limits to land access in the United States, including the ownership and operation of our nation’s most productive agricultural land. Recognizable leaders include the pioneering and globally influential work of Dr. George Washington Carver a century ago to advance specialty crop productivity and nitrogen fixation in soil to Leah Penniman’s current approach to advancing the practice, policies and ethics underpinning new food system movements.

The U.S. Census of Agriculture reports that in 2017 there were 48,697 Black farmers, an increase of 5 percent since 2012, who are operating primarily in the southern United States. Black farmers have shaped and will continue to influence a sustainable agricultural system in the United States, however, Black-operated farms and the overall share of agricultural land owned by has declined during this period relative to non-Black farmers. As a workforce in agriculture nearly 20 percent.

Yesterday, we hosted a community ecotour for in Florida.

https://youtu.be/PpOmOc_6QQ0

Welcome to Dickinson Adventures!*To learn more from Jermyn and Futurists Farmers, visit him at the links belowhttp://futuristsfarmers.com/https://instagram.c...

20/09/2021

But improving healthy and affordable food access goes beyond what’s in the name.