John Boyd Jr. has spent three decades getting Black farmers a seat at the table in Washington. Under the Trump administration, he says, the invitations stopped coming and Black farmers are suffering.
“It’s like night and day based on the treatment that we receive from this administration,” the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association told The Root. “This president clearly says he doesn’t want us.”
In an exclusive interview, Boyd said the administration’s policies — from canceled agricultural grants to a push to bring more foreign beef into the U.S. market — are pushing farmers who were already struggling closer to losing their land. And he’s just as frustrated with the silence coming from Black America.
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Boyd said previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican, gave him access to policymakers and opportunities to advocate for Black farmers, including billion-dollar funding from the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations. Under Trump, Boyd says, he has instead been excluded from White House events and agricultural discussions.
“I led the way on all of those efforts,” Boyd said of the billion-dollar settlements. “And this administration came in and said, ‘Hey, Boyd, we can’t– we don’t even want you at the table.’”
For the veteran farmer, the lack of access is more than symbolic. He says the administration’s agricultural policies are creating real financial consequences for farmers already struggling to stay on their land.
The latest fight centers on beef. The administration has moved to increase foreign beef imports in an effort to bring down prices for consumers, according to the Guardian. Boyd argues that the policy will put additional pressure on American cattle producers by driving down what farmers receive for their livestock.
The consequences could extend well beyond Black farmers. Boyd noted that white farmers also have significant amounts of cattle and potentially more to lose financially.
“It’s the beginning of something different from the agricultural sector in this country,” he said. “This president has ruined the agricultural sector in this country for many years to come. The grain markets are gone, and now he wants to give the beef counter market to his friends.”
But Boyd’s frustration is not limited to the White House. The 60-year-old activist is calling out the Congressional Black Caucus, prominent activists, athletes, entertainers and wealthy Black Americans for remaining largely silent as Black farmers face financial pressure.
“We got athletes, boxers, tennis players, wealthy businessmen,” Boyd said. “Nobody’s picked up the phone and say, ‘Hey, Boyd, what can I do to help?’”
He says the help Black farmers need is not another symbolic gesture. Boyd says hundreds of farmers are facing foreclosure and he wants people with resources and influence to help individual farmers stay on their land.
“That’s the kind of help I need right now,” he said. Boyd also rejects the idea that Black farmers supported Trump. He, like many of his peers, backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and has spent years advocating for Black farmers regardless of party.
“We don’t want Trump. I don’t want him now. He doesn’t want me,” Boyd said.
His message to Black Americans is direct: learn the history, organize and vote.
“We have to vote our way out of this and there needs to be a sense of urgency,” Boyd said. For him, the fight is bigger than Trump. It is about whether Black farmers will have a voice in the future of American agriculture — and whether the people who have the power to help them will finally use it.
“We’re gonna survive Trump,” Boyd said. “We survived Jim Crow, we survived slavery and sharecropping… But the only way to get through it is to work together, in unity.”
