While formalized education is valuable, the most important lessons often come through hands-on experiences.
The National Black Growers Council (NBGC), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the best interests of African-American farmers on the local, state and national levels, appreciates this perspective.
Established in 2010 to represent the unique needs of full-time, black farmers, NBGC’s current members farm more than 100,000 acres of land in 13 southern states from Texas to Virginia.
Census data show a 9 percent increase in the number of African-American agricultural producers from 2007 to 2012. However, the NBGC remains concerned about attracting, mentoring and training the next generation of full-time professional black farmers, as well as educating youth about career opportunities in the agricultural industry.
Sharing Experiences
“Our mission is to help black row crop farmers become more efficient, productive and sustainable,” said Leigh Allen, NBGC executive director. “One way our members do that is by networking and sharing their knowledge and experience through workshops, on-farm demonstrations and other educational forums.”
To this end, NBGC hosts model farm field days to bring together farmers for non-competitive knowledge sharing and community building throughout the summer months. Farmers learn about a variety of topics ranging from grain storage, marketing and U.S. Department of Agriculture programs to farm financing and farm management.
Education is Key
Part of the field day programming includes financial literacy training, something that the NBGC’s Allen believes is critically important for all farmers. “Right now, every farmer – black, white, green, purple, yellow, red, brown – is dealing with low commodity prices. You can be a great farmer, but you’ve still got to be a good businessperson at the end of the day. And certainly that’s more important now than ever,” he said.
Farm Credit is excited to partner with the NBGC and support the spread of financial knowledge to farmers across the country. “The model farm program is an excellent venue for studying new technology and production methods, and Farm Credit is pleased to lend its support to the program,” said Isaac Bennett, Farm Credit Bank of Texas vice president of capital markets. “We are eager to assist the NBGC in helping its members excel.”
Farm Credit Facilitates Connections
Allen discussed how Farm Credit, with its expansive local networks, has helped connect the NBGC with black row crop farmers who may not have been aware of the opportunity. Allen said, “Farm Credit has been, without a doubt, one of our most engaged and sustaining members. I think that is a huge credit to not only the mission of Farm Credit itself but also the quality of people that Farm Credit has on their staff.”
This article was adapted from Landscapes Magazine. For more information, please visit www.nationalblackgrowerscouncil.com.