The TV campaign ad featuring a group of Montana farmers and ranchers suggesting that Sen. Jon Tester “voted to exclude white farmers” from farm aid is offensive to me.
This ad is one of the most racist ones I’ve seen this campaign season. It seems to target the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, which resulted from a class action lawsuit against the USDA for discriminatory lending practices towards minority farmers and ranchers.
Montana, where Native Americans are constantly under attack, is home to the largest minority population in the state. While the ad doesn’t directly reference Native American farmers and ranchers, it indirectly affects them as a significant minority group in Montana.
Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of Montana, including Indian farmers and ranchers on reservations who form the economic foundation. However, minority farmers and ranchers, especially Native Americans, have historically faced discrimination in accessing federal resources and support compared to non-Indian counterparts.
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Congress and the USDA have recently attempted to address racial discrimination in the Farm Bill and USDA programs. However, these efforts have faced legal challenges from white farmers claiming their exclusion violates their civil rights.
Between 1981 and 1999, a lawsuit on behalf of Native American farmers and ranchers revealed USDA discrimination in loan programs. The USDA’s use of “redlining” and trust lands for Native Americans resulted in fewer and smaller loans compared to non-Native farmers and ranchers.
In the end, only a fraction of eligible Native American producers received payments from the lawsuit. The 2018 farm bill introduced provisions aimed at supporting Indian tribes, but legal objections from non-Indian producers have delayed their effective implementation.
Native American farmers and ranchers have smaller operations and lower product market values compared to white-owned farms and ranches, indicating the disparities they face in the agricultural sector.
The USDA offers various aid programs for farmers, but a small percentage targets socially disadvantaged groups like Native Americans. The ad claiming Sen. Jon Tester excluded white ranchers from farm aid is misguided and perpetuates racist ideologies.
Sen. Jon Tester has advocated for the inclusion of all Montanans in the Farm Bill.
Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, represents Senate District 8, covering Glacier County and parts of Flathead, Lake, and Pondera Counties, including the Blackfeet Reservation.
“The racist ad touting Sen. Jon Tester ‘voted to exclude white ranchers’ from farm aid is based on ignorance and racist ideology, not fact and history.”
