Vilsack: Just 0.1% of CFAP Went to Black Farmers

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
(Reuters)

As USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack prepares to testify before the House Agriculture Committee Thursday on the state of black farmers in the U.S., he is highlighting disparities in coronavirus aid payments to minority and disadvantaged farmers.

Ninety-nine percent of all $38 billion paid out in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) so far has gone to white farmers, as Vilsack pointed out to farm broadcasters in a press call Wednesday. Just 0.1% went to black farmers, he said.

“Maybe we need to make sure we did everything we need to do to make sure that folks had a chance to participate,” Vilsack said. “So, 99% of $38 billion went to one group. And surely those folks are the big producers, and no question that they're entitled to help. But my guess is if we had better outreach, those percentages would be different. I don't know how much different they'd be. But I'm pretty sure that black farmers would get more than one tenth of 1% of the resource.”

Vilsack said USDA has historically marginalized black farmers and that may be keeping them away from USDA programs out of a history of mistrust.

“There's absolutely no doubt about the fact that discrimination occurred in many parts of the country directed at socially disadvantaged farmers for many, many years. And over the course of time, because of that discrimination—because of acts where people were denied loans, or their loans were processed very late in the production season, where their interest rate was higher, or there were other barriers that were placed in front of them that weren't placed in front of other farmers—these farmers basically couldn't get themselves in the same possible circumstance to be as productive as other farmers have been,” Vilsack said. “So over time, the gap between these folks who had full advantage of all of the programs that USDA on a timely way and those who didn't has grown. And what has also grown is the fact that these folks over here may not fully trust USDA, so we have work to do to rebuild that trust relationship. And we have work to do to basically help them get to a point where they can take full advantage of USDA programs.”

USDA is reopening applications for CFAP 2 on April 5. Vilsack has set aside $2.5 million for outreach to black and disadvantaged farmers to encourage additional applications.

The House Agriculture Committee will be taking up the issue of equity for black farmers in a hearing at 1 p.m. Central Wednesday. Those providing testimony include Vilsack, the leaders of the National Black Farmers Association and the National Black Growers Council, and former Georgia director of Rural Development Shirley Sherrod, who was forced to resign during Vilsack’s previous tenure as secretary over a video of her comments that were edited to make them appear racially charged.

Watch the hearing below:
 

 

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