On a hot day in May, Andrew L. Smith Sr., a vegetable farmer from Ludowici, Ga., listened with skepticism as Tom Vilsack, the U.S. agriculture secretary, touted President Biden’s efforts to help Black farmers overcome decades of discrimination.
Seated alongside hundreds of farmers in front of a former plantation once owned by a Georgia slaveholder, Mr. Smith, 62, wondered why he had not benefited from any of those programs, including one aimed at helping Black farmers clear their debts.
Mr. Smith, a third-generation farmer, said he was especially frustrated that he is not eligible for another effort that will compensate farmers who have faced discrimination.
“We march on using what we got and then they tell us that you can’t even use that,” he said.
Mr. Smith voted for Mr. Biden in 2020.
Persons:
Andrew L, Smith, Tom Vilsack, Biden’s, ”, Biden, Donald J, Trump
Organizations:
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Locations:
Ludowici, U.S, Georgia