Black farmers will not opt-in to Donald Trump’s new $12 billion federal farm aid program due to its racist undertones.
The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association said it is declining the Farmer Bridge Assistance funds, the even though it typically backs efforts to assist farmers. The group’s president, Thomas Burrell, called the program “racist” and said persistent discrimination and unequal treatment of African American farmers made participation unacceptable, Action News 5 reported.
forwp-incontent-custom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad1">“In light of circumstances and events that have happened, over the last several years… culminating in denying African American farmers and the sons and daughters of African American farmers the same rights and privileges, that now the administration says it is going to make sure is guaranteed to farmers in general,” Burrell said in a statement.
The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association noted it has supported federal and state assistance efforts for farmers. The association believes the structure of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Fund program fails to address long-standing inequities.
President Trump announced the $12 billion aid package earlier this month as part of broader efforts to assist American agricultural producers affected by market disruptions and rising costs. The payments are scheduled to begin late February 2026.
The aid plan includes one-time payments to farmers, with much of the funding directed through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the initiative is intended to help growers of major row crops and specialty commodities weather economic pressures.
Burrell said the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association would not remain indifferent to what it sees as persistent inequality in federal farm assistance.
“Ordinarily, BFAA would not be indifferent to the plight of all farmers,” he said, noting the group’s stance reflects frustration with historic and ongoing barriers African American farmers face.
The decision follows criticism from some Black farming leaders that the new aid package does not sufficiently reach African American producers, partly because many Black farmers have faced challenges in accessing programs requiring enrollment or acreage reporting with USDA. Trump administration officials have defended the program as necessary short-term relief for U.S. agriculture.
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