Black farmers and agricultural groups across the country could soon regain access to millions of dollars in federal funding after a judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to restore $127 million in canceled grants.
U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell issued the order on June 30, directing the USDA and its employees to reinstate awards that had been terminated earlier this year. The department was also required to submit a status report to the court by 5 p.m. July 3.
The grants were part of the Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access Program created under former President Joe Biden. The initiative awarded $300 million to 50 projects aimed at addressing historic land loss and other barriers faced by farmers of color.
Back in March, the Trump administration canceled several of the awards. In termination letters to farmers, the USDA described the grants as “discriminatory” because they were linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, dismissing them as wasteful spending.
The cancellations affected organizations that had already made plans based on the federal awards. Some intended to purchase farmland and equipment, expand food production, support small farmers and increase access to local food, while others had entered contracts, hired employees, or committed resources to programs that depended on funding.
According to the lawsuit, the sudden loss of money forced some organizations to cut staff, end programs and redirect funds from other projects. Plaintiffs also claimed that the terminations fractured relationships they had spent years building with farmers, community partners, as well as local residents.
Twenty-four organizations and government entities joined an ongoing lawsuit challenging the USDA’s decision to eliminate the grants, arguing that the department acted unlawfully and placed their operations at risk by canceling awards that had already been approved.
Howell found that the plaintiffs were likely to show that the terminations violated federal law. She also determined that the organizations could suffer lasting harm without immediate court action.
“Land Access Program Plaintiffs have demonstrated that the terminations of their individual grants were likely contrary to statute, that they will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of relief, and that the balance of equities and public interest favor preliminary injunctive relief,” Howell wrote in a separate opinion released the same day. “Thus, these grant terminations are preliminarily vacated.”
The organizations set to have their grants restored include the 2020 Farmers Cooperative, African Alliance of Rhode Island, Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice, Agrarian Trust, Black Oregon Land Trust, Center for Heirs’ Property, Cultivate Kansas City, Four Bands Community Fund, Heru Urban Farming, H.O.P.E. for Small Farm Sustainability, Iowa Valley RC&D and the Kansas Black Farmers Association.
Other recipients include King County, Washington; NDN Collective; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey; Ourspace World; RAFI; San Diego Food System Alliance; Sustainable Iowa Land Trust; THRIVE Santa Ana; Urban Oasis Project; Viva Farms; Workin Rootz; and World Farmers.
At a March event on the White House South Lawn, Trump praised his administration’s support for American farmers. Hundreds of white farmers attended, but Black farmers were excluded from the event.
John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, said he asked to attend but never received a response and that his efforts to speak with the White House and the Department of Agriculture about the needs of Black farmers had gone unanswered.
“For them not to invite us, they’re really saying, ‘We don’t want you to be a part of this administration at all,'” he told TheGrio at the time.
Black farmers matter.
