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Minority farmers still shortchanged, study shows Saturday, Jul 21, 2007 By Brian Duggan Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Minority farmers are being short-changed compared to white counterparts when it comes to getting federal aid, according to a study released this week. Only 18 percent of black farmers received U.S. farm aid compared to 34 percent of white farmers, according to the study by the anti-poverty group Oxfam America. The report drew on research done by Tuskegee University and the University of Minnesota based on payment figures from 2002. The average payment to white farmers is $9,300 compared to $3,460 for blacks. And while minority farmers account for 5 percent of U.S. farmers, only 1 percent of total federal aid goes to minorities, the study concluded. "The programs are designed intentionally not to benefit minority producers," said Minor Sinclair, Oxfam America director of regional programs. John Boyd, founder of the 80,000-member National Black Farmers Association, said racism at the local level is keeping money out of minority hands, making it harder for them to compete. "There's noting wrong with the lending programs," Boyd said. "What's been wrong are the people administering the lending programs." Federal aid for agriculture dated to the Dust Bowl 1930s to ensure the nation's farmers could continue working. Today, federal programs support major commodities such as wheat, corn and cotton, which are usually owned by large, corporate farms, Sinclair said. Smaller, minority-owned farms usually supply livestock, fruits and vegetables, Sinclair said. The government needs to boost outreach to those farmers and expand aid available to them. The Oxfam report also cited language barriers facing Hispanics, the fastest growing group of farmers in the country, Sinclair said. "Some minority producers we have heard through organizations feel they are not treated fairly," Sinclair said. Department of Agriculture spokesman Keith Williams said inequity among minority and small-scale farms is an issue the USDA addressed in a farm bill proposal it sent to Congress. Williams said the USDA proposed a to reduce interest rates on loans to beginner farmers, which include many minority farmers. But Boyd said efforts to support minority farmers, especially black farmers, have been underfunded. "What they're doing at the agriculture department is not working for black farmers," Boyd said. The House Agriculture Committee approved a major farm bill renewal on Thursday. A full House debate is expected next week. |
