The Biden administration is making it rain with $2B in direct payments for Black and other minority farmers who have faced discrimination by the USDA in farm loan programs or didn’t receive equitable access to federal resources prior to the Biden administration.
The deets: More than 23K farmers have received payment approvals for amounts between $10K and $500K. An additional 20K people who planned to start a farm but didn’t receive a USDA loan will get between $3,500 and $6K. The majority of the aid will go to farmers in Alabama and Mississippi.
Soundbite: “My hope is that this financial assistance will help many farmers stay on their farms, contribute to our nation’s food supply, and continue to do what they love.” — Tom Vilsack, Ag Secretary
Zoom out: While Secretary Vilsack didn’t provide many details on recipients, he said the program looked at all types of discrimination such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion. Application criteria included the extent, nature, and timing of the discrimination; the type and size of the farming operation; and whether farms or homes were lost.
National Black Farmers Association Founder and President John Boyd Jr. said the aid is helpful, but not enough.
Soundbite: “It’s like putting a bandage on somebody that needs open-heart surgery,” Boyd said. “We want our land, and I want to be very, very clear about that.” are saying the proposed rule is winging it.
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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