The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is removing equitable support for the “socially disadvantaged” in all agency programs—a label that was created in the 1990 Farm Bill to identify farmers impacted by racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination. This decision effectively guts race-conscious outreach and technical assistance once provided to Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian farmers.
Source: Jacob Wackerhausen / Getty
Capital B reports that the rollback stems from President Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In place of the decades-old designation, USDA officials say they’re aiming for a “meritocracy” that ensures “equal opportunity for all participants.”
But is this just coded language for stripping vital protections?
As Capital B notes, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins claimed in a statement that “under President Trump, USDA does not discriminate and single out individual farmers based on race, sex, or political orientation.” Still, the agency did not clarify how the decision will affect programs that currently serve farmers of color, who only make up 4% of the nation’s 3.3 million producers.
Highlighting Massive White Payouts Before Debt Relief for Black Farmers
According to Mother Jones, the outrage from white farmers over targeted relief for Black farmers ignores the reality that 97% of USDA’s $46.2 billion in 2020 agriculture bailouts went to white producers. These subsidies exploded during Trump’s trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, without congressional oversight in many cases.
Mother Jones also reports that Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who criticized aid to farmers of color as “un-American,” represents a district that raked in nearly $5 billion in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2020. His own family farm alone received $661,153, including $57,089 in 2019.
Meanwhile, white farmers like Tennessee’s Kelly and Matt Griggs appeared on Fox News to complain about debt relief going to Black farmers.
“Just because you’re a certain color you don’t have to pay back money?” said Kelly.
But Mother Jones confirms the Griggs’ farm pulled in $693,653 in federal payments from 1995 to 2020—nearly half of that since 2017.
Details About Delayed Relief Under Biden’s Administration
In Forbes, the Biden administration finally began distributing $2 billion in overdue debt relief in July 2024—nearly two years after it was first authorized through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The funding was intended to support 43,000 farmers who experienced discrimination, with the average payout landing at $82,000.
In a statement shared by Forbes, President Biden said,
“I promised to address this inequity when I became president. Today, that promise has become a reality.”
Forbes also cites John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, who warned that when a Black family loses a farm, it’s not just economic—it’s erasure.
“It means losing your family cemetery, your identification, and all the things in the community that you live in. These losses are irreplaceable,” Boyd said.
The Legacy Is at Risk
According to Forbes, Black farmers once made up 14% of all U.S. farmers at the turn of the 20th century, owning over 16 million acres of land. Today, that figure is down to less than 1%, and Black farmers own fewer than 5 million acres combined.
Retired USDA official Lloyd Wright remains frustrated by the superficial nature of this latest rollback.
“I don’t think I’m socially disadvantaged. I just happen to be Black, and they discriminated against me because I’m Black,” said Wright in Capital B. “There are people who deserve compensation—I wouldn’t call it reparations—but they deserve to be compensated for the damages done to them in the past.”
Forbes also highlights the activism of Todd Belcore, who helped write the Illinois Distressed Farmers Act and continues to support Black farmers through seed banks, equipment programs, and advocacy.
“The greatest economic tool we have is to support our own,” Belcore said.
The Fight Isn’t Over—It’s Just Beginning
The rollback of DEI at the USDA isn’t just a policy update—it’s a generational wound reopened.
For Black farmers who’ve fought for land, legacy, and recognition, the message is clear: the system still isn’t built for them—but the movement to change that isn’t going away either.
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