When the initial debt relief program for Black farmers was passed in 2021 it was a false start. It was challenged in court and stalled. But, in 2022, a new debt relief program, not based on race, was passed to replace it. How will the new program work? How would it affect Black farmers and ranchers, including Nate? And what kind of future do Nate and his family imagine? An expert gives context to why Black farmers need debt relief; and Nate’s sons talk about what it means to carry on the Bradford legacy. We’ll likely circle back to Nate at the end. 

Pigford v. Glickman (1999) was a class action lawsuit accusing the USDA of long-running racial discrimination against Black farmers in regard to the types of loans and assistance they received (if they received anything at all). This episode will cover that crucial case—a case that led April to pursue this story overall—showing its complications and the ways it drags on today.

So far, we’ve been following Nate’s journey to becoming a full-time rancher…but Nate isn’t just concerned about his achievements, he also wants Boley to thrive. That mindset is essential because Boley and the ranches that surround it are interdependent. With that in mind, we’ll look at the history of Boley’ (and what it was like when it was flourishing) and how some of the same forces that have made it hard for Nate to do well as a rancher have affected the town itself.