Black farmers like Sharon Mallory can finally get some relief after a judge ruled to restore millions of dollars in grants. Earlier this year, the Trump administration yanked the money away from organizations led by and in support of Black farmers. Mallory’s organization, the 2020 Farmers Cooperative, promised to purchase equipment and land and provide […]
Black Farmers
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Rural Issues
Black Farmers Sue USDA Over $127 Million in Canceled Grants
When Sharon Mallory’s nonprofit received a $13 million federal grant to help farmers, it felt like a blessing and answered prayer. Through the 2020 Farmers Cooperative, the group had planned to purchase equipment and land and offer technical assistance to Black farmers. But in March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency snatched those […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
Black Ranchers Got No Help After Their Cattle Were Stolen, So They Fought to Change the Law
A month after shots were fired at their rural Colorado ranch, Courtney “CW” and Nicole Mallery can finally celebrate some good news with a legislative win. When the couple reported their cattle stolen from their Freedom Acres Ranch, they say they didn’t receive any help from their local law enforcement officials. They went directly to […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Black Farmers Aren’t Waiting on Washington to Save Them
SHANNON, Mississippi — What seemed like almost an empty building on a recent Saturday morning quickly filled with dozens of Black people — from retired federal employees to university officials and even education and land appraisal experts. They greeted one another while signing in at the Saving Rural America Small Farmers Conference. Some hugged before […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
How to Find Black Farmers in Your Area and Support Them
Black farmers make up less than 1% of total U.S. farmers today, significantly less than there were more than a century ago. For decades, Black farmers have been disproportionately impacted by land loss, loan rejections, and fewer resources than their white counterparts, Capital B has previously reported. Since Donald Trump took office in 2025, his […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Colorado Ranchers Fear For Their Lives After Shooting On Farm
Courtney “CW” and Nicole Mallery believed they had moved to greener pastures after being displaced by a hurricane. They moved to Yoder, Colorado, an unincorporated town where they could nurture their animals and grow food on their 1,000-acre ranch. What the married couple say they’ve encountered, however, nearly cost them their lives. During Easter weekend, […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
As USDA Cuts $300 Million, Black Farmers Say They Can’t Rely on the Government
Qiddist Ashé had a gut feeling that a federal program meant to help underserved farmers get access to land wouldn’t last. In 2023, the Black Oregon Land Trust, a community land trust she co-founded, was awarded $2.5 million from the United States Department of Agriculture. It planned to use $800,000 to purchase land, distribute $300,000 […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Money, Rural Issues
The Little-Known Committee That Has Cost Black Farmers for Generations
This is the first story in Capital B’s “Gatekeepers of the Land,” a multipart series that explores a small but powerful county committee system and its role in diminishing Black political power and resources for Black farmers. This project is a result of the Investigative Reporting and Editors Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Fellowship. It is […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
This Alabama Cattle Rancher Is Ready for a Legal Battle to Protect His Land
SELMA, Alabama — On a sunny, humid summer afternoon, Willie Palmer Jr. gathered his cows under a tree for feeding time. He watched as they roamed the grounds, passing by a slew of vehicles, a shed, and barn on his 20-acre property. As the animals feasted, Palmer stood quietly for a moment, taking in the […]
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Food Access, Rural Issues
In a N.C. Town With Almost No Grocers, One Farmer Is Expanding Local Food Access
Most days, Patrick Brown kneels in the red clay of Warren County, North Carolina, running the soil through his fingers. His roughly 300 acre farm has been in his family since 1865 and has survived crisis after crisis. Now it has another important job to do — affordably feeding families in one of the state’s […]
