U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, representing Knox County in Ohio, wants to know why funds have been diverted from a federal program for minority and veteran family farmers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) took money away from the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, a letter to the USDA from Brown (D-OH), U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) said. The program is also referred to as Section 2501.
The funds were instead sent to fund to a new initiative called the Centers for Community Prosperity (CCP), the letter stated.
“The Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program is the only Farm Bill program dedicated to addressing the needs of Black, American Indian, Asian American, Latino, and military veteran family farmers and ranchers,” a statement to the Mount Vernon News said.
Under the Section 2501 program, nonprofits, institutions of higher education and Indian Tribes “can support socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers through education, training, farming demonstrations, and conferences on farming and agribusiness, and by increasing access to USDA’s programs and services,” a release issued on the USDA website said.
The goal is to “reverse disparities that exist for these historically underserved communities by investing in innovative outreach and technical assistance programs through the community-based organizations, Tribes, and educational institutions,” the letter said.
Farmers are currently facing “unprecedented challenges," the letter continued. “For many producers, the impacts of this current crisis are compounded by years of depressed prices prices, volatile markets, and historic levels of farm debt. We are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of our nation’s most underserved farmers who often have the fewest resources to draw on and who most need our support in these challenging times.”
The letter also asked a series of questions, including "What specific Farm Bill authorities and funding is USDA using to authorize and administer CCP?"
Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 50 years, the statement to the News said.
