Black Farmers Update 2024. Department of agriculture is extending the deadline for the discrimination financial assistance program to january 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. Historical discrimination in the agency's lending programs contributed to black farmers losing $326 billion worth of land in the 20th century, a study found last year.
Black and other minority farmers are set to receive more than $2 billion in federal aid in response to decades of discrimination by the u.s. Through the act, congress allocated $2.2 billion for the program and directed usda to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in usda farm lending programs prior to january 2021.