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USDA Offering $1.3B to Women, Hispanic Farmers in Discrimination Payouts

Sep. 25, 2012 11:42am Becket Adams

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Monday that Hispanic and women farmers who feel they have been discriminated against by the USDA may now file claims to get “a piece of at least $1.33 billion in cash awards and tax relief payments and up to $160 million in farm debt relief [emphasis added],” The Daily Caller’s Caroline May reports.

Any woman or Hispanic farmer/rancher who thinks their race or gender resulted in their being denied a loan or loan servicing application between the years 1981 and 2000 will have until March 25, 2013, to file a discrimination claim.

“Hispanic and women farmers who believe they have faced discriminatory practices from the USDA must file a claim by March 25, 2013 in order to have a chance to receive a cash payment or loan forgiveness,” Vilsack said in a statement Monday.

“The opening of this claims process is part of USDA’s ongoing efforts to correct the wrongs of the past and ensure fair treatment to all current and future customers,” the statement adds.

This announcement shouldn’t come as a total surprise. After all, it was just last February that Vilsack announced the creation of a “path to justice for Hispanic and women farmers” that would allow them to collect compensation for the USDA’s past misdeeds without having to go to federal court.

As the TheDC’s May notes, this is the third time the USDA has been made to settle with discriminated against interest groups under the Obama administration.

“When I was sworn in as secretary of Agriculture two years ago, President [Barack] Obama and I made a commitment to mend USDA’s troubled civil rights record,” said Vilsack in a statement last year.

“Since then, we have taken comprehensive action to turn the page on past discrimination. Last year we entered into a settlement with black farmers in Pigford II to address pending claims, and finalized a historic settlement agreement with Native American farmers under Keepseagle that faced discrimination by USDA,” he added.

You may recall the $1.25 billion Pigford II settlement: black farmers claimed that between 1981 and 1996, the USDA discriminated against their loan applications.

And as for Vilisack’s mention of Keepseagle: the “settlement made $760 million available to Native American farmers and ranchers who believe they did not receive the same farm loan opportunities as whites between 1981 and 1999,” May notes.

“The USDA plans to engaged in outreach through mail, media, and community advocacy groups to ensure that those eligible are aware of the claims process. The agency has print, video and audio outreach messages in English and Spanish on its website,” she adds.

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Front page photo source courtesy the AP. This story has been updated.

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Comments (45)

coyote1hell
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:54pm
WEher is Congress ont this..?…oh yeah, they areall Obamabaggers…nice going Pelosi et al…..

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- The_Jerk
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 2:43pm
  Using the old victim ploy to enrich the losers. Black reparations will be next.
  
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- PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 2:49pm
  So, Breitbart…are you screeming from your grave. This is part of the pigford battle Andrew fought with valor.
  
  Did 0 say, “we’ll save this one until right before the re-election 2012″. Buying votes much?
  
  Report this comment
- ToddH
  Posted on September 26, 2012 at 7:21am
  Black reparations have already come and gone with the Pigford case. This is just the extension of that (to women and Hispanics, and later to come: gays and lesbians I’m sure).
  
  Read Pigford’s Harvest by Daniel Foster.
  That came out in 2010.
  
  Report this comment
TNWOMANFARMER
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:53pm
First off, I am a female farmer. I would never take out a loan to start farming. I started small and am getting bigger every year with CASH.

Second, so we are giving “farm relief” from tax payers dollars because a tax payers dollar USDA program discriminated???? COMIC RELIEF

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moreteaplease
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:51pm
With the way the Fed is printing money on a whim these days a big win in one of these suits probably won’t mean much before long anyways.
So go ahead and throw money out the window to everybody with a sob story and an outstretched entitlement hand. It’s just another scam created by our wonderful government for all of those who think the government really gives a rats carcass about them. It’s just another baited hook to grab votes for Obama.

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Dont-hate-on-me-2
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:39pm
Nothing like buying votes to win an election.

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girlnurse
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:28pm
“As the TheDC’s May notes, this is the third time the USDA has been made to settle with discriminated against interest groups under the Obama administration”.

ARE YOU SERIOUS??? For this reason alone this man should be impeached! THREE TIMES? Once is too many! No wonder the Mexicans love him. He is flat out giving them huge checks like this!??? This is one crooked so called government we have. Yea, it sure would be nice to get a massive check from the government. Oh but they have only taken money from me and wanted MORE! I guess I have the wrong skin color! And I am a white American, US Navy veteran, citizen which is all the things this gubment hates! Apparently some in this country think if you are born with white skin you are automatically privildged. That is the biggest LIE from the pits of hell.
Is this being shouted from the LAMESTREAM rooftops!? Nahh, I doubt it!
Just more of this gubment picking winners and losers!!

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- BloodSweatandTears
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:11pm
  After raising my health insurance 9% they rebated me $4.48…..i feel so lucky.
  
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doomytram
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:24pm
Pigford II Reparations….The USDA question goes like this…to the Obese Black Women or Illegal Hispanic. Did you ever or do you like to farm? If answer is yes, then you get the money. If answer is no, then you get this question. Do you want the money for being a women or hispanic? Do you want the free government money whether you eat nothing but pop tarts or know how to plant a seed? Come and get your 1.3 billion.

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girlnurse
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:10pm
Redistribution of wealth.

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- LibertyGoddess
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:17pm
  Of course it is. They failed to mention that 19,000 black farmers filed and there are only 8,000 on record. It’s also a scam to get $$ into the hands of those who will donate back to the Obama campaign. Uncanny timing…latino…women…election…
  
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raybaker35
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:57pm
As a nation we are doomed.

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- Sirfoldallot
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:31pm
  A broke nation.
  
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Detroit paperboy
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:49pm
All borrowed from China………..sickening.

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- OhioRifleman
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 2:30pm
  Actually, not any more. China refuses to lend to us, as does most other smart nations. We’re printing what went out in these reparations.
  
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- BloodSweatandTears
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:13pm
  Here comes inflation. Put on your crash helmets…
  
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Big Media Bias
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:46pm
Obama will also be offering big payouts to all the farmers in the San Joquin Valley, CA for having their water cut off BY Obama. Create a crisis. Then buy votes by handing out cash to the victims Democrats created in the first place.

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Sirfoldallot
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:40pm
Sure, it’s not our money it’s Obama money.

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thibx
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:40pm
all lies just like the black farmers payout. people growing things in a bucket got 50 thousand. attorneys racked up. another way oboma wasting money. just like to the indians.just like him shutting down car dealerships they will get their payout in future. i have never seen such screwey mess in my life like this government is. bleed the people waste the money.

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Deadbang
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:27pm
Blah blah blah, they were turned down because they were high risk. So know if you are a minority farmer who was refused for legit reasons you are entitled to reparations. we gotta fix this crap and fast , come on November. I recall another situation just like this when minorities were supposedly being dicriminated against when trying to obtain a mortgage. Turns out they were just bad pay, hello financial crisis.

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My Two Cents
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:18pm
My wife bought some plants a few weeks ago. This morning I suggested that she might be qualified for a settlement.

By the time I finished explaining she had smoke coming out of her ears.

We run our own business together and we are still waiting for the Settlement for People Who Produce and Pay Taxes.

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Nevermind
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:18pm
johnjamison
Since they want open the door to suing the U.S.Government via USDA then I suggest every white passed over for a scholarship,employment,government loan,or promotion in order to fill a minority quota should file a class action law suit against the government for discrimination. I’m sure there are millions of cases where these actions caused damages both emotionaly,and financially against these victims of discrimination.

*******

That would work if there were no such thing as affirmative action but since there is your suit wouldnt work. The reason thier suit does is becasue discrimination was illegal at the time yet they disriminated againstm due to race or gender. Affirmative action is something put in place due to a history of discrimination , which blacks have faced for centuries and whites were the ones doing the discrimination.

Sure you didnt own a slave so its not your problem right? Well families that were slaves werent allowed to have property, vote and mnay other rights . I was victim of it in 1981 and was denied a proper education due to my race. My parents filed suit and a case agains board of education but my fiurst years in school i was placed with children below my level due to my skin.

So spare me the reperations crap and the ” this isnt fair” crap. Blacks and women were diswcriminated against until recent times so the fact they they are getting compensated is a good thing.

Unless you agree with discrimination

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- woodyee
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:32pm
  You have to PROVE you were discriminated against, but that’s NOT what is being said by the USDA in this disgraceful anti-American effort at “reparations”:
  
  “Hispanic and women farmers who believe they have faced discriminatory practices from the USDA must file a claim by March 25, 2013 in order to have a chance to receive a cash payment or loan forgiveness,” Vilsack said in a statement Monday.”
  
  Words MEAN things and if you had…oh, nevermind….
  
  Report this comment
- katzkiner
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 3:47pm
  One should always discriminate against con artists.
  
  Report this comment
COFemale
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:15pm
Waaaaaaaa Waaaaaaaa Oh come on. I get discriminated against every day and you don’t see me whining for reparations. Maybe I should start.

I’ve been discriminated against because I am a woman, I have been discriminated against because I am older, I’ve been discriminated against because I am not a toothpick and countless other reasons.

Lets call this what it is: REPARATIONS FOR PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION. Hey maybe they couldn’t get a loan because they were a risk for loss. What a concept, that seems to escape a Democrats brain. We are not loaning you money because you suck at business not because you have a different skin color.

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JoeInAlbany
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:09pm
“Proof of citizenship not required…” :)

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Chromo200
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:08pm
I can expect this from the Republican administration, but the lovable honest and all around nice guy Bill Clinton allowing discrimination in his administration, what a shame According to the article this discrimination did not happen during the GWBush years, I am heartbroken.

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CatB
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:04pm
I’m tired of being on the losing end of all this money .. I have an Aerogarden .. I am a woman .. where’s my check? (sarcasm off)

Obama just trying to buy more votes.

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- Angel_light
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:36pm
  that’s what I was thinking. if there is indeed discrimination then where are some examples? Like who and how and why? and why hasn’t this come up before if someone was in fact discriminated against? and why such a specific time frame? like you said Obama buying voters…
  
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razhunter100
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:02pm
pigford 2.
more stolen money.

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CatB
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:00pm
Come on NOVEMBER 6th!

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MN NICE
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:58am
And guess who’s a$$es they’re pulling this 1.33 billion out of…

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- girlnurse
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 1:13pm
  Yeah and in spite of this people just keep feeding this beast. Did they ask you? Its your money. Taxation WITHOUT representation is what we have.
  
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MDECKER
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:51am
That’s nice, the U.S. Government is running a Lottery now. Only this type of lottery pays everybody that buys a ticket and discriminates against those that are prevented from buying one. And people say you can’t buy an election. Disgraceful!

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- johnjamison
  Posted on September 25, 2012 at 12:07pm
  Since they want open the door to suing the U.S.Government via USDA then I suggest every white passed over for a scholarship,employment,government loan,or promotion in order to fill a minority quota should file a class action law suit against the government for discrimination. I’m sure there are millions of cases where these actions caused damages both emotionaly,and financially against these victims of discrimination.
  
  Report this comment
Jenny Lind
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:51am
Why not? we have plenty of money to throw around for reparations, can’t pay the bills but what the heck, there is money for people who THINK they were discriminated against. And this folks is why we are going broke. Thank you very much Obama, the financial genius at work.

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hauschild
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 11:48am
And, the reparations via redistribution continue.

Sad.

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