Federal Action

The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021 (S.278) was introduced by U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Ray Luján (D- NM), and former Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to provide funds for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide assistance to address historical discrimination and disparities in the agriculture sector. The legislation would deliver $5 billion in direct relief to Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic farmers and other agricultural producers of color to help them respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and address longstanding inequities in agriculture.  This legislation would help support a more equitable and impactful hemp industry, a key mission of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. 

The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act was introduced in the Senate with no further movement.