Black farmers among those left in limbo amid federal funding freeze
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On a recent snowy afternoon, Gale Livingstone, a first generation farmer, is working in the propagation greenhouse at Deep Roots Farm, which she owns and operates. Four volunteers are putting collard greens, bok choy, kale and scallion seeds in seed starting trays — just a few of the vegetables Livingstone is growing this spring.
“It’s a pretty tedious, lengthy process,” she says.
Trained as an accountant, Livingstone turned to farming about 15 years ago to grow her own food. She started with five-gallon buckets, pierced holes at the bottom and filled them with soil and seeds.
She leased land until 2020, when she was able to buy it with the help of government funding.
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Livingstone is one of about a million American farmers who benefits from financial assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) each year. But she says she isn’t sure what the future holds.
One week after President Trump was inaugurated, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants. Funding for a number of programs that support small farmers like Livingstone was halted. Although that memo was rescinded shortly after it was issued and attorneys general from across the nation filed suit against the federal government, farmers are still feeling the squeeze.
The Trump administration has also effectively dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, a move that is having a ripple effect on farmers who export their products for food aid. Millions of dollars in grain have been sitting unused in Kansas, where farmers export sorghum, wheat, rice and lentils.
Dãnia Davy, an attorney and founder of Land and Liberation, a consultancy firm that specializes in Black farming and land justice issues, says the nation’s Black farmers, who historically have earned less and owned smaller plots of land, feel these financial strains most acutely.
For years, Livingstone considered herself a success story in Black farming. She credits USDA grants with her ability to own her land, rather than rent it as she used to, and make farming her primary livelihood.
Black farmers have historically had less access to loans and other resources in the U.S. The USDA in a 2021 memo vowed to end discrimination against Black farmers.
Livingstone, a Maryland native, says the system is far from perfect.
“The USDA loan process is inefficient,” she says, noting that she submitted her loan application to purchase her land within two weeks.
“In addition to being a woman farmer, a minority, socially disadvantaged, they had all these special categories that qualified me to borrow, but it took about nine months to complete the acquisition,” she says.
The loan included funds to build a home, but farming involves a lot of unexpected expenses and losses, she says.
“I don’t have a home. I am currently living in an RV on the property,” she says.
In the next month she’s adding goats on the farm. She hopes to bring in pigs and sheep next. Livingstone has applied for more USDA grants from the Climate-Smart Commodities Project, which allocates $3 billion for projects across the U.S., including crop rotation and less water-intensive irrigation techniques. She hopes to use the funds for fencing, among other things, she says, but those grants are currently frozen.
A federal judge’s order issued on Feb. 10 noted that the Trump administration had continued its funding freeze despite a temporary restraining order issued late last month.
In a statement to NPR, A USDA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing programs that have been on hold and that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins expects to make determinations as quickly as possible. Rollins “understands that farmers, ranchers and loggers have made decisions based on these funding opportunities, and that some have been waiting on payments during this government-wide review,” the spokesperson said, adding the agency expects to share more information this week.
For now, Livingstone is taking a cautious approach.
“I’m not starting anything,” she says, “I can still operate my business without any of those projects.”
“Just as I was feeling good about how things are going,” she says, “this freeze is chilling.”
Davy says part of the challenge with government grant awards is that they often require the farmer to pay for work out of pocket and file for federal reimbursement later.
“I’m usually like the Suzy Sunshine,” says Davy, “But I cannot gloss over the reality that we are in a very dark moment in America's history.”
Uncertainty isn’t anything new for Black farmers
“I’ve been fighting the government since 1983,” says John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation Black farmer.
He and his wife, Kara, are two of four plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit in federal court filed on behalf of Black farmers and other farmers of color in 2022. It alleges that the government broke its promise to provide billions of dollars in debt relief to Black farmers.
Earlier this month, the Boyds arrived at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., where a group of about 25 fellow farmers from North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and other states had gathered in the lobby. A three-panel judge was set to hear an oral argument on an appeal.
“I feel anxious today,” says Boyd, who is president of the National Black Farmers Association. He’s tall, dressed mostly in black, including a cowboy hat and brown boots.
“A broken promise”
President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed in 2021, set aside $5 billion in debt relief and other efforts to help socially disadvantaged farmers, like Boyd. It was part of an effort to help USDA makeup for a history of discrimination.
But after white farmers filed lawsuits, the program was repealed and lawmakers passed a second race-neutral program through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Billions of dollars in relief would now go to any farmer identified as “economically distressed,” including some white farmers.
“It’s a broken promise,” Boyd says, referring to the Biden administration’s earlier plans to provide debt relief to Black farmers.
He owns and runs Boyd Farms, about 2,000 acres in Bakersville, Va., where he grows soybeans, corn and wheat, and raises cattle.
“Total debt forgiveness would give me the opportunity to plan the next steps on what to do with my land,” Boyd says. “Securing loans is a full-time job.”
The father of four says the land is his legacy. He wants it to stay in the family, “but my children have watched my struggles,” he says, “and they have prepared to make a different living.”
“Every day I think about what’s going to happen with my land and part of me hurts and I have an emptiness inside,” says 59-year old Boyd. “There is a part of me that’s deeply saddened that I haven’t identified what’s next for my land.”
“It’s not over today”
Back in Washington, D.C., plaintiffs and their supporters in the class-action suit gather in a hallway after oral arguments conclude.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Ben Crump, a high-profile civil rights attorney, tells farmers. He says the three-judge panel seemed receptive.
“They were listening, asking questions, and we are going to continue to fight to overcome this 21st century version of 40 acres and a mule,” he says, referring to the promise the federal government made to give land to freed slaves after the Civil War.
“We have a good chance here. It’s not over today,” John Boyd says.
Boyd leads the group in prayer.
“Father God, we come to the court, we come in faith, we come in your name. Amen.”
A ruling is expected in a few weeks. For now, these farmers remain hopeful.
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