The Inflation Reduction Act has major implications for farmers of color who have been waiting for more than a year for debit relief promised to them in the American Rescue Plan Act. That Act earmarked $4 billion in debt relief for “Socially Disadvantaged” farmers. But, the money was caught up in the court system after white farmers sued claiming discrimination. The Inflation Reduction Act cuts that money by $1 billion and open it up to “Economically Distressed Farmers of any race. John Boyd Jr is the President of the National Black Farmers Association. John Boyd Junior says he’s frustrated with the change, saying when subsidies come down the pike and they’re signed into law, within days the relief was in white farmers’ mailboxes and in their checking accounts. He wonders why it is so different when there’s aid targeted to black and other farmers of color.
The latest legislation includes another $2 Billion for compensation for discrimination in Federal Farm Programs. The USDA says they are working furiously to get the money into the hands of all farmers who are suffering and need the funds to continue supplying the Nation with bountiful harvests and an abundance of food now and for generations to come.
