Improving Outcomes for Farmers and Ranchers of Color

Eloris Speight, Director of The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFR) Policy Research Center (the Center) located at Alcorn State University, will offer a presentation on the Center’s work to improve outcomes for farmers and ranchers of color.  Authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill to be a voice for SDFR, the Center focuses its work on four different areas—active research, policy development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic outreach.  In addition to being a voice for SDFR, the Center also provides data-driven information to Congress, USDA, and other stakeholders to advance laws and policies beneficial to SDFR.  The presentation will include historical context that led to the Center’s creation, including USDA’s mistreatment of farmers and ranchers of color, and the Center’s recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill and for administrative actions to address issues of equity.

Eloris Speight is the Director of the Center, where she oversees research and the creation of recommendations to improve conditions for SDFR.  Ms. Speight brings knowledge and experience from the public and private sectors to the role, including time spent as the first Black female to hold the position of Deputy Administrator at the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.  She holds degrees in accounting, finance, and human resource development, and she has completed coursework towards a Doctorate in Education and Human Development from George Washington University.