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4th gen farmer blasts Biden admin for sending billions to Ukraine as US farmers suffer: 'Facing extinction'
John Boyd, Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, told Fox News Digital that farmers are being crushed under the policies of President Biden and criticized the administration for sending millions to foreign governments while farms are being foreclosed.
“Quite frankly, we’re facing extinction today,” Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer from Mecklenburg County, Virginia, told Fox News Digital about the state of the farming industry four years into Biden’s presidency.
“Every time I look at the news, there’s another commitment to help foreign countries. We probably helped Ukraine, probably $100 billion or so, and we can’t get debt relief for American citizens in this country,” Boyd said.
Boyd told Fox News Digital President Biden promised him a meeting at the White House to talk about issues affecting farmers and that meeting has yet to take place. Additionally, Boyd said Biden told him he supported debt relief for Black farmers but “they wound up repealing it.”
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John Boyd Jr., left, and President Biden (Getty Images )
“We’re providing Israel and other parts of the world billions of dollars in relief and, in one instance, we even provided Ukraine farmers with financial relief,” Boyd said. “But everyone frowns when I say that they should live up to their commitment for debt relief for America’s farmers and to stop farm foreclosures.“
Boyd spoke to Fox News Digital as President Biden pushes for the House to vote on a $95 billion national security supplemental package to assist Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific that recently passed in the Senate by a vote of 70-29.
The United States has sent hundreds of millions in aid to farmers in Ukraine in recent years, and U.S. aid chief Samantha Power said last year the United States has a “collective interest in ensuring that Ukrainian farmers stay in business.”
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The price of farmland rose nearly 8% in 2023, pricing many young farmers out of the market. In recent years, Boyd has been an advocate for farmers facing foreclosures, specifically Black farmers who have been fighting with the USDA in recent years over allegations of racial discrimination,
Boyd went on to explain that small farmers are not getting enough help in recent years because the “country has made it so difficult.”
“For instance, we have beef cattle prices in this country where we’re producing the lowest amount of beef for most countries, 82 million cows and calves,” Boyd said. “We’re down close to 3%, and we’re producing 1 billion pounds less of America’s beef than we did last year this time. And it’s because we’re not investing in America’s farmers and, in this case, beef cattle farmers.
“And I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been producing beef for 41 years, and I just came from the livestock market and there are empty stalls. And this is the time that America’s farmers sell beef to pay off all debts. You know, insurance and all of these things that we use that secondary income to pay our bills to survive until we start planting season. And when I went to the market, I noticed a lot of empty stalls when, historically, those stalls had been filled up with beef cattle and farmers selling their livestock.
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“And it’s because we’re not investing in America’s farmers, and they can’t hold on so they’re depleting their herds. And that means they’re not having more cows to go into next year.
“These are real issues. And if we don’t face them, we are going to be begging other countries to send us food instead of supporting America’s farmers. And all this is happening under this administration, and nobody’s saying a word about it.”
If things don’t change in the next five to 10 years, Boyd said the farming industry won’t be able to meet the country’s needs.
President Biden speaks during the United Auto Workers union conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’re going to be — and I’m speaking as the head of the National Black Farmers Association — there are not going to be any farmers left if we don’t hurry up and take action in this country to protect farmers in this country,” Boyd said. “I mean, put some real laws in place to protect America’s farmers.
“These are the people that produce food and feed every household in this country, and we should have them at the top of the tier rather than down at the bottom, frowning on the acts to provide relief to farmers.”
What the government “doesn’t frown on,” Boyd explained, is providing “billions of dollars to foreign countries that aren’t going to support us when they get back on their feet.
“If you don’t believe me, look at Iraq and Afghanistan. We invested billions of dollars in those regions, and they still don’t want us in those countries today,” Boyd said. “So, why do we keep making the same mistakes? Investing all of our money into foreign countries that really aren’t going to support us anywhere. Invest those dollars into our own country, in our own infrastructure and, in this case, America’s farmers. And watch it multiply where we can leave our farming operations to the next generation of farmers.“
Boyd told Fox News Digital helping farmers is not a partisan issue and hopes the Biden administration will fulfill its promise to meet with him.
“You have an enormous amount of resources to help farmers in Ukraine, which aren’t U.S. citizens. I don’t care how you look at that — Republican, Democrat, independent. Man, that’s bad politics.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House spokesperson said they “appreciate the work John Boyd, Jr. does on behalf of Black farmers nationwide as the National Black Farmers Association president, as well as the insights he provides on the struggles Black farmers are facing.”
“This is why we recently invited him to an event with senior White House officials, including Office of Public Engagement Director Mayor Benjamin and Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, as well as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, specifically focused on advancing equity and opportunity in agriculture,” the statement said.
“While Mr. Boyd was unfortunately unavailable to participate in this meeting at the White House, we hope to partner with him in the future as we continue our efforts to support rural communities and farmers, including Black farmers throughout the country.”
The White House also pointed to investments made into farming via the Inflation Reduction Act including hundreds of millions in assistance through the USDA and investment to improve land access opportunities.
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Guy Fieri once had ‘nothing else to sign’ on the beach but postcards; now, he’s built a food TV empire
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MIAMI BEACH – Twenty years ago, a contestant named Guy Fieri on the second season of what was then “The Next Food Network Star” showed up at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival with little more than spiked hair and ambition.
“He came to that festival that year and was walking around signing postcards because he had nothing else to sign,” recalled Lee Brian Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and its New York City counterpart.
Today, Fieri is one of the most recognizable faces in food on television. But, in 2006, he was just another up-and-comer working a crowd on the sand.
Speaking to “Fox & Friends” from Miami Beach, Florida, Friday morning, Fieri said he wasn’t chasing TV fame.
“I was doing what I wanted to do,” he told Steve Doocy while walking the beach. “I wanted to be a great dad. I wanted to be a great husband. I wanted to be a chef. I wanted to own my own restaurant. So, I had accomplished the things I wanted in life and never really saw the other side of it.”
South Beach Wine & Food Festival founder Lee Brian Schrager and celebrity chef Guy Fieri pose for a photograph back in 2009. (South Beach Wine & Food Festival)
Two decades later, Fieri still comes back.
“He’s been part of our festival every year since he won ‘Food Network Star,’” Schrager told Fox News Digital.
The knack for spotting and elevating talent is part of the festival’s legacy as it marks its 25th year in Miami Beach.
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Schrager recalled a similar instinct with Giada De Laurentiis. When her agent suggested she might be ready the following year, Schrager pushed back.
“I said, ‘I don’t want her next year. I want her this year so she’ll remember where she got her big start,’” Schrager said.
Giada De Laurentiis, pictured here in 2015, was another celebrity chef who got her start at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)
Yet the festival doesn’t claim to have created celebrity chefs.
“We don’t take responsibility for turning anyone into a superstar,” Schrager told Fox News Digital. “We do take some credit for giving them a platform and putting them in front of their fans.”
“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars.”
Over the past 20 years, the platform has grown alongside the broader transformation of food culture.
“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars,” Schrager said.
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What began as a one-day wine event on the campus of Florida International University evolved after Schrager was tasked with reimagining it. His directive was to “make it better — not bigger, but better.”
Schrager had a solution.
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is where chefs like Fieri “became rock stars,” said Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
“Move it to the beach, partner with the Food Network, get all their celebrities and make it more than just local,” Schrager said.
Today, the festival draws marquee names from the culinary world as well as from music and entertainment. Among those who showed up for Thursday night’s Burger Bash event were comedian Bert Kreischer and Cloud 23 hot sauce founder Brooklyn Peltz Beckham.
Chefs don’t get paid for appearances at the festival.
“If it’s somebody new, the first question out of their agent’s mouth is, ‘Oh, what’s the honorarium? What’s the fee?’ I’m like, ‘Zero,’” Schrager said.
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham is among the celebrities to attend the food festival for free. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
The model works, Schrager said, because the festival operates as a nonprofit benefiting FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
“Everyone’s doing it to support the cause, or they’re doing it because they want to do it,” Schrager said. “It’s not a bad place to be in the middle of winter.”
Schrager, left, appears along with Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
The festival has raised more than $50 million for student scholarships.
“To me, that’s why we do it,” Schrager said.
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Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.
“We listened to the consumers,” Schrager said.
Fieri, left, and a shirtless Bert Kreischer share a moment onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
“There was never any ego involved in this festival.”
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He added, “Our goal was never to be the biggest.”
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“It happens that we turned out to be the biggest, but being the best, or at least doing our best, has always been the most important to me.”
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