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David Robinson, son of legend Jackie Robinson owns coffee farm
The black gold of East Africa flows through the veins of a son of a legend. Sparked by the movement and a commitment in global trade between African Americans and Africa, a 20-plus year business is...
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The most delicious California dates are grown by a Black farmer.
Patience is an understatement when you hear the story of how one farmer pivoted his farming practices to grow one of the slowest products in agribusiness. But, it was worth the wait.
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Poultry farmers sued for pandemic price gouging
Last month, the State of Texas returned to a lawsuit they filed against Cal-Maine Foods (white-owned) for its alleged price gouging during the shut down. A Texas appeals court says the state can go...
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NBA vet offers wine with your Angus steak
Last year, we found out that former NBA and Jewish basketball league player, Amar'e Stoudemire started to delve into farming by selling maple syrup and Angus steak from his New York-based farm....
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Muva is busy. Just another queen bee growing the hive
When we first started The Index, Samantha Winship of Mother’s Finest Urban Family Farm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was on our radar. Since, her enterprise of beekeeping has been buzzing. Initially...
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Cowboys and cowgirls rule the roads
US Cattle ranching and ranch life was largely developed at the hands of Black wranglers alongside Native nations, Mexicans and Afro-Mexican herdsmen and women.
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Italy's food reputation isn't so clean, it exploits farmhands
The Italian government turns a blind eye as the well-known Sicilian migrant work camp, Campobello di Mazara, burns. Again, this leaves immigrant workers scrambling for legitimacy.
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Black farmers now coveted sector as meat prices surge. Here’s 60
Shoppers discover that the meat ain’t cheap, but Black farmers have quality proteins that are becoming in high demand. Get you some for the fall and winter holiday.
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Meet the Afro-Poseidan of the Gulf
From sea to shining sea, Capt. Marshum D. Sinegal of Captain Wholesale Sinegal Foods @capt_sin is hauling and hawking fish and crustacean like nobody's business. The Captain uses his social media savvy...
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U.S. Virgin Islands farmer Grantley Samuel
Did you know that there is a strong collective of Black farmers in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Many were impacted by Hurricane Maria and Irma when it hit the 3-island territory in 2017. Since the growing...
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West Oakland farmer brings Bay culture to the soil
There's nothing like knowing a garlic whisperer as the weather cools. We need some of that good-good, pungent flavor in our soups, stews or stuffed between folds of chicken and lamb. Or a natural,...
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Hemp farmers are the future
Don’t call it comeback, hemp has been here for thousands of years. However, in the U.S., farmers are allowed to grow and distribute the ancient crop thanks to it being removed as a Schedule 1 drug in...
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The soil can heal the soul says this farmer
“If you have passions, and dreams, and goals, sometimes you do not listen to the naysayers or people who can’t see that.” Ms. Bridget Bryant brings out timeless beauty in her garden. On her land, she...
View ArticleOrganic trade's a billion dollar market. Stephanie Jerger ensures
It is projected that over the next several years, the organic business will be a $100 billion-plus market. But Black and indigenous growers, who have been harvesting that way for generations are left out.
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Black catfish farmers sue white-owned Mississippi fishery
A second lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Center for Justice @justice4ms and Southern Migrant Legal Services @texasriograndelegalaid on behalf of Black farmers.
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God, family and community is the priority for Alabama farmers
Jarrod and LeslieAnn Dozier of 3D Farms who grow a wide variety of traditional crops and other produce for the local community. Named "Family Farm of the Year" in Henry County, in their...
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Southern roots x hillbilly charm = An awesome farm
What happens when a North Carolina native meets a West Virginian? You get Tarheelbilly Farm, southern Ohio's chemical-free heritage farm. Charis Walker, along with her husband, Ben, make pesticide-free...
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Ooohhh honey
Beekeepers in the trap and all pollinators of the universe, please unite. We need more good, delicious and affordable food. Do you see these food prices in this post-COVID inflation? Yikes.
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One brilliant till at a time in the state of Washington
To the hardest working man in the state of Washington, farmer Bil Thorn who was just awarded Tilth Alliance Farmer of the year. Super congratulations
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Time for a farmer to add to your fall-winter teas
Cuffing season is around the corner, but we all must get prepared. Whether we’re single and ready for love, or boo’ed up, it is time to get those sumptuous, warm cups of hot toddies, hot cocoa and...
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Mushroom grower makes fungi the new sexy
Oyster, shiitake, crimini, trumpet, clamshell, piopinni, white button ---- all delicious fungi harvested by Michael Crowe of Southwest Mushrooms. The Arizona grower is soon turning into the GOAT of...
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Collard greens that'll make you scream
Culture is rooted in ritual and food. The collard green, a hearty leaf said to come from Greece, but the concept of cooking from greens is rooted across nations and peoples in Africa and the Americas....
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Unprecedented drought felt by farmers in Louisiana
The meter read 107 degrees at the end of August in Lafayette. In late September, sugar cane in some fields began to lean in exhaustion from the heat. The combination of high temperatures and the lack...
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BLACK FARMERS INDEX virtual TOWN HALL: LOUISIANA SERIES
Join us for our first virtual town hall. This Zoom meeting focuses on Louisiana farmers, meeting them and learning about their growing. Invited to talk is doctor-farmer Dr. Dana Nettles who will talk...
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The Index hosts Farmers Town Hall + La Fête Holiday Market
Black Farmers Index (The Index) continues their commitment in getting more Black growers certified in a town hall for Louisiana farmers on December 9, 2023 at 8 a.m. The event, which will be a...
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Black farmers in Delaware attend Black growers' conference
We are just coming down from the high of visiting Delaware's first conference dedicated to the state o the Black growers in the state. Hosted by HBCU Delaware State Univeristy the two-day event covered...
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Join the Organic Movement
In our work, many of the Black farmers we spoke to grew without fertilizers, pesticides, GMO seeds or any harsh chemicals. Yet, they are severely under-represented as USDA National Organic Program...
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Destroyed by Florida developers, Mack's Farm rebuilds
Mack's Farm in Davie, Florida has a story to tell. Farmer Barbara McKenzie was born a soil sister in Jamaica then transported that knowledge when she settled in the U.S. with her husband Mark. For...
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Cherish tradition, add Black farmers’ harvests to holiday menus
Persistence encapsulates how Black farmers continue to contribute significantly to generations of local economies by creating a rich and robust food landscape we still enjoy.
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Cooperative Economics: A Black Mid-Atlantic farmers town hall
Be a part of our first virtual town hall for Mid-Atlantic farmers on December 29th from 6 PM to 7:30 PM via Zoom. This meeting focuses on Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farmers, meeting them and learning...
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Give back so we can do more
At Black Farmers Index, we have a relentless drive to support Black growers by amplifying their ventures and providing them with resources to diversify and make agribusiness more equitable. We share...
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The Index hosts Farmers Town Hall + La Fête Holiday Market
Black Farmers Index hosted a town hall and farmers market for Louisiana farmers on December 9, 2023 at the veterans’ hall, Benoit-Francis American Legion Post 504, in Lafayette, Louisiana. Some farmers...
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Merry Christmas from our family to yours
To say that we had a full year is an understatement. We hope that you enjoy all of your winter holidays and remember to put something grown from a Black farmer on your plate. xoxo Black Farmers Index crew
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PHC Farms addressed a local food desert
PHC Farms started as an essential food source in a South Carolina small town plagued by a food desert. What many don't know, rural America and towns have some of the highest rates of low access to...
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Dinner is on us. The Index co-hosts Black Mid-Atlantic farmers
Gather and break bread with us on January 26 as we co-host a Friday night dinner for the Inaugural Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Conference in Washington, DC. Held at Black-owned Logan Tavern, they have...
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The Index co-sponsors Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Conference
What a wonderful way to share space and ideas with farmers is over some really good food. We had the honor and privilege of co-sponsoring the Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Conference by chipping in for an...
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This ain't our first rodeo, but our first trip to ACA
Wanted you to see our typical days at conferences where we are in conversation with a part of the agricultural community where there is work for more representation. This time it is for certifying...
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Brian Guidry makes history as Louisiana's FSA committee member
Brian Guidry and his uncle, Dr. Charles Guidry gave us a tour of their extensive operations in Louisiana this past August. Farmer Brian has a 400-acre estate that harvests sugar cane. This season, all...
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160 year old, Western Family Farms in Iowa named heritage farm
The Western family have owned their farmland for 160 years in New Sharon, Iowa which is located in Mahaska County; making them one of the oldest, continuously Black-owned farm in the U.S. Recently, the...
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Long Beach, Calif. farmer feeds an under-represented community
Farmer Charlie Southward of In God's Hands (IGA) Gardens has a new home since the last time we featured him on Black Farmers Index. It just so happened that some of us were in L.A. when he put out a...
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How a scientist became a Chief Veggie Officer
A for certain when you are in Chicago is that you're going to eat. Many of the Black-owned local eateries have culinary roots in the south. Like Alicia Nesbary-Moore, a scientist, adjunct professor and...
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Find fresh cut flowers, herbs in Boston at this community garden
A fresh cut flower a day keeps the smiles at play. Meet Sabrina Pilet-Jones of Sabrina's Garden one of the few Black farmers in Massachusetts. Running a fresh cut flower business for years, she...
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Carrying the tradition of a historical Black AG Indiana community
To all the Daddy's Girls of the world, meet Denise Greer Jamerson, an Indiana farmer who decided to carry on her father's business through her efforts and that of her son, DeAnthony Jamerson.
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Detroit is the 'Place to Bee'
We often get asked by aspiring urban farmers, what city would be a great place to check out. We always suggest Detroit. This city is a metropolis of folks who kick the word resilient to the curb and...
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Watchu Growing? Spring Check In for Louisiana Farmers on Mar. 21
Louisiana Farmers. You are invited to the meeting: Whatchu Growing? A Spring Check In
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Providing market opportunity to under-represented farmers
What does it mean to grow great food, but nowhere to sell it? That is a question we’ve been tackling at The Index since our inception.
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Healthier communities, growing organic
Almost three years ago, we began work with getting more growers to certify as organic. It was because while in the field, we learned that they already used organic growing methods, but had limited...
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Soil Work: Maryland rice farmers roots in Louisiana
Maryland farmers’ roots in Louisiana uses innovative method to grow wholesome grains
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Military vet finds second career as a Florida rancher
Central Florida once hosted a visible Black agrarian community that established itself after Emancipation. While Black farmers, ranchers and fisherfolk in the state hold steadfast to their land, they...
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Pride Road Farm shows the deep history of Juneteenth's red drink
It was unusually cold for an October day in Atlanta, but me and my wife waited outside of Georgia State University to meet up with Najeeb Muhaimin, and his father, Mr. YaSin Muhaimin known as “Big...
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