A recent report from the U. S. Department of Agriculture found that socially disadvantaged farmers, black, and other minority agricultural producers, operate at a higher risk level compared to their white counterparts. At the same time, the USDA report found that those farmers are less likely to receive government assistance. The Department found that as many as 74% of farms operated by minority farmers have thinner profit margins than white farmers.
Jonathan Coppess, an Agriculture Policy Professor at the University of Illinois, says black farmers have historically been left behind by the Federal Government and received less funding through USDA programs. Coppess says these programs are operated at local levels and county offices and if you have somebody who wants to use the loan program authority in a discriminatory way, it is difficult to prevent that and it’s difficult to root that out. In recent years, the USDA has worked to end discriminatory practices. Last year, 2023, was the first year the department included data on credit and farmers of color in its annual report.
