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Black US farmers awaiting billions in promised debt relief

Farmer John Boyd Jr., runs his hay bailer at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., takes a break from bailing hay at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. Boyd says, unlike their white counterparts, Black farmers who fell behind on a payment would see their loans immediately accelerated, no negotiations. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., runs his hay bailer at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. Just two generations out of slavery, by 1910 Black farmers had amassed more than 16 million acres of land and made up about 14 percent of farmers. The fruit of their labors fed much of America. In 2021, they have fewer than 4.7 million acres. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., smiles as he drives his truck on his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., poses for a portrait before bailing hay at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. Boyd was just 18 years old when he assumed an existing USDA loan when he bought his first farm in the early 1980s. He says walking into his local USDA office was like a return to the Jim Crow era. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., runs his hay bailer at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. Just two generations out of slavery, by 1910 Black farmers had amassed more than 16 million acres of land and made up about 14 percent of farmers. The fruit of their labors fed much of America. In 2021, they have fewer than 4.7 million acres. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Farmer John Boyd Jr., poses for a portrait during a break from bailing hay at his farm in Boydton, Va., Thursday, May 27, 2021. Documents from a USDA internal review that Boyd provided to The Associated Press show investigators found his operating loan requests were not processed for years, despite explicit instructions from the agency’s state director. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)