Farm Groups Seek Passive of COVID-19 Bill with Relief for Minority Farmers

A coalition of agriculture groups urges lawmakers to support emergency relief for farmers and ranchers of color. In a letter to leadership of the House and Senate, the coalition says they are "committed to improving the financial and rural development interests of this nation's Black, Indigenous, Hispanic and People of Color farmers and ranchers."

Specifically, the coalition urges lawmakers to support the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, introduced the legislation last month.

The legislation would provide $4 billion in direct relief payments to help farmers of color pay off outstanding USDA farm loan debts and related taxes, and help them respond to the economic impacts of the pandemic. The bill would provide another $1 billion fund to root out systemic racism by expanding the capacity of USDA to provide technical and legal assistance to agricultural communities of color and to fund under-resourced programs that will shape the future for farmers and communities of color.

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