Farmers & Rural Communities
Law360: Minority Farmer Groups Want In On COVID-19 Relief Fight
A pair of minority farmers associations asked a Texas federal judge Friday to let them intervene in a fight between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two classes of white…
Civil Eats: Dust Is a Growing Problem. What Role Does Farmland Play?
With a growing set of tools, scientists are digging into questions about the links between modern agriculture, drought, and rising incidents of dust storms and respiratory illness.
The Counter: Independent cattle ranchers continue fight against national checkoff program
For 28 years, rancher Kyle Hemmert ran cattle auctions out of his sale barn near Oakley, Kansas. He had a front-row seat as the industry changed over the decades, and…
Reuters: Biden farm debt relief plan to exclude thousands of minority farmers
The latest version of the Biden administration’s plan to forgive billions of dollars in farm debt – initially targeted at farmers of color – will exclude thousands of its originally…
Progressive Farmer: R-CALF Beef Checkoff Case to Continue
A lawsuit against USDA challenging the Beef Checkoff program will be allowed to continue after a federal court on Wednesday denied the agency’s motion to dismiss.
ÂDebt Relief for Farmers of Color
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 promised $4 billion in debt relief for farmers and ranchers of color to mitigate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on a population…
Law360: Tenn. Judge Blocks Biden’s Race-Based Loan Relief Program
A federal judge in Tennessee added to a flurry of injunctions blocking President Joe Biden’s debt relief program aimed at helping Black and Native farmers recover from the pandemic, one…
New York Times: Judge Blocks $4 Billion U.S. Debt Relief Program for Minority Farmers
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from making loan forgiveness payments to minority farmers as part of a $4 billion program intended to address a long…
Law360: Biden Admin.’s Race-Based Farm Debt Relief Program Halted
Law360 (June 24, 2021, 7:43 PM EDT) — A Florida federal judge said a Biden administration program providing farm loan debt relief to certain racial minority groups seems to improperly…