Sunday, June 29, 2008

Pigford and Discrimination

The case of blacks who tried to maintain their family farms and failed, originally labeled as "Pigford", was revived in the new farm bill.

The NY Times has an update today--actually it's an AP story carried in the Times. It makes these points:

  • it summarizes the case--73,000 claimed to have missed the filing period under the original Pigford agreement.
  • the new provision in the farm bill passed only because the cost estimate was only $100,000. (The article cites possible costs of $1.5 to 2.4 billion.)
  • 800 have already filed suit under the new provision.
  • Rep. Davis seems to concede he deliberately low-balled the cost estimate.
In my own view, I think Rep. Davis is wrong--the costs will never get that high because the former black farmers who are applying have been sold a pig in a poke. It's another case of 50 acres and a mule. But if he admits the cost will be low, he becomes the bad guy who disillusions the potential claimants. If he pretends the cost will be high, the court system and USDA retain their roles as the bad guys.

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