John Boyd Jr., President National Black Farmers Associationtold Fox News Digital that farmers are being crushed under President Biden’s policies and criticized the administration for sending millions of dollars to foreign governments while their farms are being foreclosed.
“Frankly, today, it’s on the brink of extinction,” Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, told Fox News Digital about the current state of the agriculture industry in the fourth year of President Biden’s term. Ta.
”Every time I watch the news, there is a new initiative to help foreign countries. “We’re helping Ukraine, probably $100 billion or so, but we’re not going to get the debt of Americans in this country to be forgiven,” Boyd said.
Boyd told Fox News Digital that President Biden had promised to meet at the White House to discuss issues affecting farmers, but that meeting has not yet taken place. Boyd also said Biden supported debt relief for Black farmers, which he said “ended up being repealed.”
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John Boyd Jr. (left) and President Biden (Getty Images)
”“We have provided billions of dollars in relief to Israel and other parts of the world, and in one instance we have even provided economic relief to farmers in Ukraine,” Boyd said. To relieve American farmers’ debts and stop farm foreclosures.”
Boyd said President Biden is pushing for a vote in the House of Representatives on the $95 billion national security package to support Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, which was recently passed by the Senate on a 70-29 vote. He spoke to Fox News Digital while he was there.
of sent by the usa Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid have been given to Ukrainian farmers in recent years, and U.S. aid chief Samantha Power said last year that the U.S. is “committed to ensuring that Ukrainian farmers can continue to operate.” There is a common interest.”
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farmland price rose nearly 8% By 2023, many young farmers will exit the market. In recent years, Boyd has been an advocate for farmers facing foreclosure, particularly black farmers who have battled the USDA in recent years over allegations of racial discrimination.
Boyd went on to explain that small-scale farmers have not received enough support in recent years because “the state has made it very difficult.”
“For example, beef cattle prices in this country are among the lowest in most countries, at 82 million head,” Boyd said. “We’re down nearly 3%, and this time we’re producing 1 billion fewer pounds of U.S. beef than we were last year. And that’s because we’re not investing in U.S. farmers, in this case beef farmers.” .
“And I know what I’m saying. I’ve been producing beef for 41 years and I just came from a livestock market and there are empty stalls. And now it’s time for America’s farmers to It’s time to sell the beef to pay off all our debts.” You know, insurance, etc. We use that extra income to pay our bills to survive until the planting season starts. And when I went to the market, I noticed that there were a lot of empty stalls, even though historically there were a lot of them. It was full of farmers selling beef cattle and livestock.
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“And that’s because we’re not investing in American farmers, and they’re depleting their herds because they can’t hold on. It means no.
“These are real problems, and if we don’t face them, instead of supporting American farmers, we’ll be begging other countries to send us food. And all of this is due to this administration’s It’s happening down there and no one says anything about it.”
If things don’t change over the next five to 10 years, Boyd said, the agriculture industry won’t be able to meet the country’s needs.
President Biden speaks at the United Auto Workers Conference at the Marriott Marquis on January 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
”We speak as president of the National Black Farmers Association, and if we don’t act quickly to protect the farmers of this country, there won’t be any left. “That means enacting some actual laws to protect American farmers,” Boyd said.
“They are the people who produce the food in this country and feed the families, and giving relief to farmers should be frowned upon and put at the top, not at the bottom.”. ”
Boyd explained that what the government would “not frown upon” is “giving billions of dollars to foreign countries that are not going to help us when we get back on our feet.”
“If you don’t believe me, look at Iraq and Afghanistan. We’ve invested billions of dollars in those areas, and they still don’t know we’re in those countries. I don’t want that,” Boyd said. “So why do we keep repeating the same mistakes? Investing all of our money in foreign countries that aren’t really going to help us anywhere. Invest in our own country, our own infrastructure, and in this case, America.” And watch as more and more places turn over our farming operations to the next generation of farmers.”
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Boyd told Fox News Digital that aiding farmers is not a partisan issue and that he expects the Biden administration to follow through on its promise to meet with him.
”There are vast resources available to assist Ukrainian farmers who are not U.S. citizens. Republican, Democrat, independent, it doesn’t matter what your views are.oh that’s bad politics. ”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the White House press secretary said, “I am grateful for the work that John Boyd Jr. is doing for Black farmers across the country as president of the National Black Farmers Association and the insight he provides about the struggles of Black farmers. I am grateful to you.” confronting. ”
“That’s why we recently invited him to an event with senior White House officials, including Director of Public Engagement Benjamin, Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, to specifically address equity and opportunity in agriculture. ”, it said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Boyd was unable to attend the White House meeting, but we look forward to working with him to continue our efforts to support rural communities and farmers, including Black farmers, across the country. .”
The White House also noted that investments in agriculture were made through the Inflation Control Act, including hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. Through the USDA and investment in Improve land access opportunities.
