In celebration of Black History Month, AgDay host Clinton Griffiths had a chance to chat with John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer who grows soybeans, corn and wheat and runs 150 head of beef cattle on a 1,600-acre farm in Baskerville, Va.
Outside of farming, Boyd dedicates his time to being a voice for change in the industry as the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.
The goal of the association is to educate and train farmers as well as raise visibility.
“Believe it or not, there are many people who don’t even know black farmers exist,” Boyd says. “We have 116,000 members in 46 states, primarily in the Eastern corridor of the U.S. and around to Texas. Mississippi and Alabama are the two biggest membership states and there’s about 3,000 black farmers in California.”
His desire is to embrace and acknowledge what’s happening so all farmers can work together.
“We have to raise our voices to let people know we’re here, what our needs are,” he says. “The administration and whoever is running need to hear what we have to say. We need to hear how they’re going to help America’s farmers stay on the land.”
According to Boyd, the Biden Administration isn’t doing that right now.
“They made a lot of promises to the National Black Farmers Association. Biden really courted their support; he really came asking me for his support. We supported him, probably 99% of our membership did,” Boyd says. “We need to be treated the same way we were during the campaign now that they’re in office.
“And for the Republicans, we need to hear from you. Don’t shy away from black farmers because you think they’re going to vote Democrat. Make a plea for their support. That’s what’s missing – the black farmers’ side of things,” he adds.
A Lawsuit Against USDA Takes Shape
Recently, four plaintiffs, one of which is Boyd, filed a lawsuit against USDA claiming the agency failed to keep promises it made to help socially disadvantaged producers pay off delinquent farm loans – up to 120% of the debts. USDA dropped the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 after other farm organizations said the provisions discriminated against white farmers.
“We made plans based on the agreement that we signed with USDA,” Boyd says. “The government broke this contract between black farmers and other farmers of color and simply said they weren’t going to do it and repealed it. Based on that commitment, many black farmers made changes to their farming operations – they bought tractors and things they thought they would need to improve their farming operation.”
Since dropping the program, USDA has announced other programs to help socially disadvantaged farmers, however plaintiffs in the case say those new programs don’t match the agency’s earlier promise.
Boyd isn’t asking for sympathy. “We’re very dignified people,” he says.
He’s just a guy who loves to farm and loves the land, as he describes, and wants that legacy to continue for generations to come.
Boyd’s grandfather, Thomas, and father, John, taught him that the land knows no color. “It’s never mistreated anybody. All great things come from the land – clean drinking water, timber to build your house, food for you and your family,” he says.
Through his work with the National Black Farmers Association, Boyd is committed to being a change agent.
“When they stop asking us on a farm loan application, such as USDA, to identify ourselves as ‘black,’ and the same goes for banks, then we can integrate into America’s systems. But right now, every day the challenges are far more difficult for me as a black farmer,” he says.
