Black farmers are fighting for survival under Trump, John Boyd says
- Jamie Jackson
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
Photo courtesy of John W. Boyd Jr.
WASHINGTON (ABNN) - Black farmers are fighting for their survival under President Donald Trump’s agriculture policies, National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd Jr. told The American Black News Network.
Boyd, a fourth-generation Virginia farmer, blamed tariffs, rising operating costs, low crop prices and the administration’s rejection of diversity and equity policies for creating additional pressure on Black farmers.
“Yes, and it is survival,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the present crisis cannot be separated from generations of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the loss of Black-owned farmland.
“Because of all of the bad history between Black farmers and USDA, we have a tendency to stay away,” Boyd said. “We just don’t trust them.”
That distrust can carry economic consequences. Boyd said Black farmers who do not participate in USDA crop-reporting programs could be excluded from federal assistance offered to farmers.
He also pointed to the cost of keeping a farm operating.
“Lime, fertilizer, seed, diesel fuel, all of my expenses are up,” Boyd said.
Boyd said efforts to lower beef prices by importing more foreign beef are creating another threat. Beef and veal prices were 9.4% higher in July than they were one year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Uncooked ground beef prices increased 9% during the same period.
But Boyd said beef was the one part of his farming operation bringing him a fair price.
“What a low blow to America’s farmers,” Boyd said about the push for foreign beef.
Boyd gave Trump an F-minus for his response to Black farmers and accused the administration of dismantling policies intended to address historic discrimination.
“This president gets an F-minus,” Boyd said.
He also rejected the idea that the current struggle is only about agriculture, trade or government assistance.
“It’s a civil rights crisis,” Boyd said. “People, this is a Black man crisis.”
Boyd urged Black Americans with the necessary financial resources to invest in agricultural land and help preserve Black ownership. He also called for stronger partnerships among Black farmers, businesses and communities.
“We have to come together,” Boyd said. “We’ve got to start supporting each other.”
For Boyd, survival means more than keeping one farm operating through another season. It means preserving a Black farming legacy long enough for another generation to inherit it.
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