The National Black Growers Council (NBGC), founded in 2010, advocates for African-American farmers across 13 southern states, representing over 100,000 acres. Despite a 9 percent increase in Black agricultural producers from 2007 to 2012, NBGC focuses on mentoring and training the next generation of Black farmers and educating youth about agricultural careers.
NBGC hosts summer model farm Field Days to foster knowledge sharing on topics such as grain storage, marketing, USDA programs, and farm management. "Our mission is to help Black row crop farmers become more efficient, productive, and sustainable," says Leigh Allen, NBGC's executive director.
"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," Allen emphasized.