Discrimination in U.S. Department of Agriculture against black farmers – Part 2

By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,

In Part 1 of this article The Mississippi Link newspaper told the full story of the nearly 100-year history of the decline of black farming in America, rife with discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
January 13, 2024, is the most recent deadline for black farmers to apply for the $2.2 billion Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP).
In Part 2 of this article, we will highlight interviews with Reverend Dr. Willie P. Taylor, pastor of King of Kings Christian Center in Vicksburg and the Honorable Mike Espy – experts in all thing’s agriculture, farming and ranching.
Dr. Taylor is the Mississippi director of Outreach for the DFAP and a project manager for ACTS Agricultural Consultant and Technology Services. In this capacity he reports to the Gainesville Technology Entrepreneurship Center in Florida, who is in turn accountable to The Windsor Group, LLC, who has been contracted by USDA to administer DFAP for Region 2.
There are a total of four regions covering all states, commonwealths and territories. Taylor has a regional office in Okolona, MS with four employees. He has nearly 40 years’ experience working with USDA in various capacities. In the seventeen months at the helm of Mississippi DFAP, direct outreach numbers exceed 5,000 black farmers and for those seeking information, he has received over 1,700 applications. He can be reached at 601 966-2822.
Taylor spoke in detail about the 40-page application and his approach to outreach. He emphasized the need to document a basis of discrimination, the racial inequity in USDA Farm Loan Program interest rates over time, and what could be called “systemic failure” that allowed the inequities.
“These farmers must come out to apply; the focus of our outreach not only responds to farmers seeking information, but we seek them out as well – every community has a voice, and if we can find that one person, then others can get the help that is needed. The key is trust. With anything connected to USDA in Mississippi – there’s a long history of mistrust. People know my name, and that means a lot in Mississippi, and I’m honest and so people will talk to me and that opens the door that has led to even greater outreach. I ride on a horse called Favor – I speak the language of the black farmer because I have boots on the ground, I know the struggles, I know the issues – that’s why I fulfill this assignment.”
In addition to scores of statewide outreach activities for the DFAP, there are big things happening at HBCUs in Mississippi. The Reuben V. Anderson Institute for Social Justice at Tougaloo College, in partnership with the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Center at Alcorn State University, announced the launch of a comprehensive grassroots leadership development initiative aimed at addressing economic development in the Mississippi Delta.
The Bennie G. Thompson Delta Leadership Initiative is designed to accelerate the development of socially disadvantaged black and indigenous grassroots community leaders living in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, with innovative and promising sustainable solutions in areas, including sustainable food systems training, social enterprise development models and workforce transportation.
In October 2023, Jackson State University received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These funds will help fuel The Gateways to a Greener Jackson, an initiative led by JSU to engage and employ community partners in the completion of projects that enhance equitable access to tree canopy, reduce stormwater runoff and implement and maintain green spaces in underrepresented communities, and will collaborate with the cities of Jackson, Rolling Fork, Vicksburg and Greenville, Mississippi.
The current Secretary of “The People’s Department,” is the 32nd in their history. Twenty-four white male secretaries preceded Secretary Mike Espy, who served from Jan 22, 1993-Dec 31, 1994. The five that followed him have been white; one a woman.
Former U.S. Congressman from Mississippi’s 2nd District and Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Espy, sat down with The Mississippi Link newspaper to discuss the DFAP and broader farming picture.
In sharing about the $2.2 billion DFAP, he said, “This DFAP program is more complicated than any of the previous ones. It’s 40 pages long, and the deadline was extended because USDA received a lot of opposition that had merit, and they have regional administrators that were selected, and there is some distrust going on. The demographics, administrators selected, and the complexity of the application process have led to more delay and hopefully they will correct it.”
When asked – in considering the deep impact of USDA’s discrimination against black farmers – does the DFAP program do enough? Espy replied, “No way. With the historic nature of discrimination – you can’t calculate the wealth that was lost over the decades. $2.2 billion can never cover it, just like Pigford Two; $1.3 billion can’t cover it. The land loss, the generations that received no benefit, the legacy cost of land being taken, loans not being given – there’s no way, it’s unimaginable. What they have to do is be more equitable now.”
When asked – what counsel would you have today, knowing everything that has gone on, for those that want to carry on the family farming legacy – what would you whisper in their ear if you could? Espy replied, “Export, export, export. This country is so abundantly productive that we must export two-thirds of what we produce…that’s where the money is.”
Espy continued, “I was just appointed to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, I’m on their Advisory Board. They have programs that will underwrite and guarantee financing to export production and produce overseas. I would also say take advantage of all the USDA programs available – technology, technical advice and markets.”
Espy also reminded us that earlier this year the USDA reintroduced a partnership, the USDA/1890 Scholars Program, aimed at producing more minority scholars of agriculture science.
More information can be found at https://www.usda.gov/youth/scholarships.