Most came to hear an update on Pigford v. Glickman, the lawsuit by farmers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for discriminatory practices. During the February 8–9 conference, claimants in the suit also had an opportunity for individual meetings with representatives of the office of the court-appointed monitor, established to oversee the implementation of the consent decree that settled the lawsuit.

There were conference sessions on the outlook for the peanut crop, on alternative marketing strategies for farmers, and speeches by various politicians, mainly on the 2002 Farm Bill. In various ways, all reflected the continuing crisis facing working farmers today.

A standing-room only crowd filled the room to hear a report from the monitor's office. Many expressed frustration with the slow pace of the settlement, the number of claims that have been turned down, and continued discrimination at the hands of local USDA field representatives.

The monitor is responsible for, among other things, reviewing at least 6,000 appeals by farmers whose claims to qualify under the terms of the settlement have been rejected by a federal adjudicator. Nearly 40 percent of the original claims have been thrown out.

Stephen Carpenter, senior counsel for the monitor's office, admitted that "most petitions haven't been decided yet." He reported that only 600 claims have been sent back to the federal adjudicator for reconsideration.

Under a court order, farmers who missed the initial deadline set out in the consent decree to file a claim were able to submit evidence as to the discrimination they faced as well as the "extraordinary circumstances" necessitating a late filing.

More than 60,000 farmers submitted late claims to the office of the arbitrator, Michael Lewis, who will determine if the required proof is sufficient.

According to Carpenter, Lewis's office has "said yes to a few while saying no to a lot." In reference to the latter category, John Zipper, Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund staff person, asked, "Why does Lewis's office send out mass mailings of late-claim rejections? They make it hard for farmer advocates to assist the many farmers who all at once need help in submitting appeals within the 60-day limit."

At the meeting Carpenter admitted nothing has been done to address the racist practices at the USDA. He urged farmers with successful claims to take advantage of the consent decree's injunctive relief entitling them to one-time priority consideration in application for a new loan. "The people in Washington believe you are not interested in injunctive relief," Carpenter said, because so few have requested it so far.

Sanford Bishop, a Georgia member of Congress, pointed out that "the county committees are [still] not accountable to the secretary of agriculture and no restructuring of the USDA has occurred to prevent discrimination."

One elderly Black farmer caught the sentiments of the crowd at the end of the monitor's report when he said: "I just wonder if the playing field is going to be level when my grandchildren come along. Where is the justice? I hope the day will come when America will get its priorities straight." His remarks drew applause from the audience. Since 1960, the amount of land owned by Black farmers in the South has been reduced by 80 percent.

Arthur Newsom, who grows vegetables on a 40-acre farm in Prentiss, Mississippi, that has been owned by his family for more than 150 years, described his experience to the Militant. He said he filed a claim in 1999, which was rejected. "They never gave a good reason why it was denied in the first place," he said. He filed an appeal, and since has waited for a response.

Newsom said word of what is happening "needs to be spread around, to see if it will help the situation and get things going. The farmer is due what he can get to help him farm. They're not giving anything to us." He pointed out that the Minneapolis law firm representing the monitor's office is "1,200 miles from us and the only way you can get to them is by phone."

Karl Butts is a farmer from Plant City, Florida. Bill Arth is a meat packer and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Atlanta.  
 
 
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