June Provost, Jr. is a fourth-generation sugar cane farmer in Louisiana. He fought to maintain his family's farming legacy but eventually lost the farm. His story in this NBC video reinforces some of the challenges of being a Black farmer and family in the farming business. The 14-minute video, What Happened to All the Black Farmers? addresses historic and current challenges for Black farmers.
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v= q-VWIZIL4ag
Asian Farmers. According to the USDA 2017 Census, Asian producers account for less than 1% of U.S. producers. The majority are female located primarily in California and Hawaii and eight other states. They tend to be younger and with less years of farming than U.S. farmers in general.
Fred Lee, owner, and farmer of a three-generation Asian farm, who received a 2019 Farmer of the Year Award,
describes the history of his family: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/PR2008710
LGBTQ Farmers. LGBTQ farmers experience stressors from prejudice and discrimination, yet there is little published research about those stressors and their impacts on physical and mental health. They are often left out of research, policy, programs, media coverage and references. The USDA Agriculture Census does not collect information about LGBTQ farmers. They tend to be involved in sustainable agriculture operations due, in part, to lack of access to land and other resources and to a higher degree of inclusion in this farming sector which emphasizes diversity in agricultural practices (Hoffelmeyer, 2019). In 2020, the USDA updated its non-discrimination regulations to include non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity (including gender expression) or sexual orientation. The statement, located at https://www.usda.gov/non-discrimination-statement, now reads: “ In accordance with Federal civil rights law an d U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). ”
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