Tardy Black farmers blame USDA for missing deadline

Black farmers told a House panel Thursday that a landmark class-action settlement of bias by the Department of Agriculture wasn't advertised widely enough, resulting in thousands of farmers missing the deadline to collect. The 1999 Pigford vs. Glickman settlement was aimed at resolving complaints from black farmers who said they had been systematically denied loans because of their race. With minimal documentation, they could get payments of $50,000 and those who could show overt discrimination could seek higher damages. The deadline was October 1999 - six months after the settlement was filed - and some lawmakers on the panel said as many as 66,000 black farmers may have turned in late claims because of improper notice. "It has become increasingly apparent that certain due process protections, fundamental to the Constitution, are lacking in this case," said subcommittee Chairman Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, who planned more hearings on the issue. A report earlier this year by the Environmental Working Group and the National Black Farmers Association found that when a farmer filed made a big difference. Of the 22,354 farmers who met the original deadline - only 8,623 were rejected compensation. [more]