USDA begins accepting discrimination relief applications from farmers

Channel 3000 News/CNN ^ | July 7, 2023 | CNN Staff

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The US Department of Agriculture has begun accepting applications for financial relief of up to $500,000 for farmers who have faced discrimination in its lending programs.

Opening the application process is a step forward in the department’s effort to remedy decades of discrimination felt by farmers of color after a previous push by the Biden administration to provide payouts faced legal hurdles.

Applications are being accepted through October 31, and will be reviewed in November and December, with payments reaching those eligible “soon” after, according to the USDA.

Any farmer, forest landowner or rancher who experienced discrimination by the department in its farm loan programs prior to January 1, 2021, and/or has assigned or assumed USDA farm loan debt “that was the subject of USDA discrimination” prior to that date are eligible for the program. Eligible claims include discrimination related to race, age, sexual identity, gender, religion, disability, marital status and “retaliation for prior civil rights activity,” according to the department.

The USDA said farmers who received payments as part of discrimination lawsuits filed against the department – including class-action lawsuits brought by Black and Native American farmers – will be eligible to apply.

The payments are being provided as part of a provision of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that allows farmers of all backgrounds, regardless of race, to receive assistance up to $500,000 “as determined to be appropriate based on any consequences experienced from the discrimination.”

Applicants, however, will likely not receive the max payout, depending on how many applications are received and approved for payment, a USDA official told CNN. The payments are not tax exempt but the agency is looking into whether something can be done in that regard, the official said.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The courts previously blocked debt relief payments to farmers of color under the Covid-19 relief package, signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021, after White farmers filed more than a dozen lawsuits claiming the payments of up to 120% of outstanding debt for those who had been “subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities” was racially discriminatory.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What if you’re just a bad farmer? LOL!

[Delta 21]

Your performance never matters if you are a liberal.(?) Isnt it illegal to hold that against you?

[liberalh8ter]

It would seem to me that in order to compensate someone for discrimination in lending, you would need for the lenders to actually admit they discriminated. I mean, let's use Hillary's favorite word, “intent”. Without the admissions of intent to discriminate, this is back-door reparations.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"I want my half mil, too!! Look at my farmer tan! I'm dark."

[ridesthemiles]

ANOTHER BOONDOGGLE

[iontheball]

That there would be farmers who are so race-obsessed they would apply for this handout is a disgrace to all farmers. I pity the ones who apply and want to be respected in their rural communities.

[midwest_hiker]

Wait, Pigford settlement was in 1999. This was to cover all applicants that were denied a load due to being a black or American Indian farmer.
So are they saying that discrrimination continued until this year.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Exactly. A Boondoggle.

[Bob434]

the courts stepped in and said “Nope- thats’ discrimination”- so what do the biden admin do? They implement it anyways

[John S Mosby]

Or, a completely FAKE farmer running a “farm” that produces minimal product and/or products that are specialized and directed to certain constituencies... of the “woke” Leftist bent. Like techie millionaires who shop at the “organic” coop markets throughout the country. They do shop there- and several of the big players in that business were taken over some time back.

Amazon (Jeff Beezos, the wonderboy weirdo) bought Whole Foods (which was great before he came around, the Founder fought hard and could not beat out the contenders). Fresh Foods, and even... Aldi which is in expansion mode. Walmart is aware of this- and responding- but who wants to shop there with the flash gangs possible. There is a sub market of buyers of these “farms”— which constitute in aggregate often the size of say front company owned “organic” units (better price points for “organic”- a silly term)— even Mars, Inc (candy monsters) have gotten into the business. Label reading takes time when one is shopping groceries wherever.

[NWFree]

President Retard ripping off white people again. He’s a racist

[John S Mosby]

This is a wider net throwing out money in a political year-— of the former Pigott settlement which was just for blacks... and quite discriminatory and not Constitutional. The basis for the applications in both these situations are very expansive. Paying people to fail in farming which is easy to “explain” and thus get on the farming dole.

Oddly some of these “farms” are big corn combines, and wheat too— getting on the cash pile added to the profit/loss of deals they make internationally.

This btw IS Tom Vilsac a real crook from obama days and before . His wiki lays it all out. And this is a sham— the economy of JoeBama the removal of petro-fertilizers by reason of high inflation he caused— all providing the impetus to suck our tax money and float on it until ... when? Frank Perdue (GA governor, Trump Ag Secretary) has many articles laying out the needs of the true US farmer, including the soy, corn, wheat mega outfits, which were doing quite well in Trump I— fuel was cheap and US based sourcing, fertilizer, weed control, huge cattle herds— all benefited the US and foreign consumers. But JOEBAMA? It all goes through two criminal idiots— Vilsac and Buttin-gig at DOT (forcing extreme costs on real farmers)— manipulative lying biden bastards who do not give a damn about US except how they can squeeze out their kickback money. rant over

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Label reading takes time when one is shopping groceries wherever.”

Excellent points, all. Too bad our kids and Grandkids can’t read...which is all by design, Comrade. :(

You might like this gal. Her life story is awesome. She seems to be doing it right, and she is an AMERICAN SUPPLIER to Walmart, et al. Sarah Frey. I found her book VERY inspiring, though I only grow (in excess) for me and mine. ;)

Born into poverty, she’s a scrappy little boot-strapper! :)

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Season-Saved-American-Farm/dp/0593129393

You don’t have to buy it from Amazon, of course. ;)

[John S Mosby]

Thanks for the post reply and hero American supplier. Kudos it is a very tough thing to fight Wally world’s shelf stocking limits (which still demand suppliers take back their already sold stock— like meat! if it isn’t “moving”. They still do this several companies of friends have this happen to get them to lower their cost by kicking back acquisition price to Walmart or risk them pulling the product. You can’t do that with meat. Incredible but they are huge and push suppliers around all the time.

Pardon ALL it is Sonny Perdue meant— (not Frank Perdue the now passed scion of Perdue Chicken- son runs it iirc).