John Boyd (farmer) facts for kids

John Wesley Boyd Jr. was born on September 4, 1965. He is an African-American farmer and a civil rights activist. He is best known for starting the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA).

Boyd owns and runs Boyd Farms. This farm covers about 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) in Baskerville, Virginia. On his farms, he grows crops like soybean, corn, and wheat. He also raises about 150 beef cattle. For 14 years, Boyd was a chicken farmer. He worked in a special program with Perdue Farms.

John Boyd's Career

John Boyd is a fourth-generation farmer. This means his family has been farming for many generations. In 1995, he started the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA). This group is a non-profit organization based in Virginia. It works to help Black farmers.

In 2000, Boyd was chosen by the Democratic Party to run for Congress. He ran for the Virginia's 5th congressional district seat. He ran against Virgil Goode, who was an independent at the time.

Working with Leaders

As the leader of the NBFA, Boyd has worked with many important people. He has met with government leaders and farming groups. He has worked with them both in the U.S. and in other countries.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton asked Boyd to join his tobacco commission. Before that, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore also asked him to serve on a state commission. This commission helped communities that relied on tobacco farming.

Later, Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine chose Boyd to help with his agriculture and forestry plans.

Fighting for Justice

Boyd led many public meetings and worked hard to get support from NBFA members. Because of these efforts, Congress passed a special law in December 2010. President Barack Obama signed this law. It set aside $1.15 billion to help Black farmers with their legal cases. Boyd was there at the White House when the bill was signed. He said, "I don't think this is about the money. I think this is about justice."

Boyd also spoke out about the Cobell Native American trust fund case. This case was about money owed to Native Americans. His work helped lead to a $3.4 billion legal agreement. He told National Public Radio that it was a "long struggle" for both Black farmers and the Cobell case.

Getting National Attention

John Boyd has been recognized by many national news programs. On November 21, 2003, ABC World News Tonight named him their Person of the Week. The next year, he was featured on the CBS Evening News "Eye on America" report. He has also appeared on shows like 60 Minutes, Nightline, and CNN.

Ebony magazine named him one of the "100 Most Influential Black Americans and Organization Leaders." This shows how important his work is.

Cabinet Consideration

Boyd was considered for a very important job in President Obama's team. He was looked at to be the United States Secretary of Agriculture. This person leads the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some members of Congress supported Boyd for this role. However, the job eventually went to Tom Vilsack.

In August 2022, Boyd appeared on Fox & Friends First. He talked about the problems facing Black farmers in America. He also discussed what he felt was the Biden administration's failure to help with these issues.