United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-03-19 monographic deposited born digital 15 p. GA 1.13:T-RCED-97-112 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112 P0b002ee1803a0a59 f:rc97112t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112 T-RCED-97-112 Civil rights Agricultural assistance Eligibility criteria Federal employees Minorities Racial discrimination Soil conservation Direct loans Advisory committees Eligibility determinations USDA Agricultural Conservation Program FSA Direct Farm Loan Program USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program FSA Small Farmer Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program Russell County (AL) Dooly County (GA) Holmes County (MS) Glacier County (MT) Duval County (TX) Elmore (AL) Byron (GA) Jim Wells County (TX) Testimony RCED The number of minority-owned farms is declining at a more rapid rate than other farms, which has called into question the treatment of minority farmers in receiving federal assistance. Moreover, for years, minority farmers have reported that Agriculture Department (USDA) officials do not treatment them in the same way as nonminority farmers in the conduct of the agency's programs, particularly in decisions made in USDA's country offices and district loan offices. This testimony, which draws on a January 1997 report (GAO/RCED-97-41), (1) identifies the Farm Service Agency's efforts to treat minority farmers in the same way as nonminority farmers in delivering program services; (2) examines the representation of minorities in county office staffing and on county committees in the counties with the highest number of minority farmers; and (3) examines data on the disposition of minority and nonminority farmers' applications to participate in the Agricultural Conservation Program and the direct loan program at the national level and in five county and five district loan offices for fiscal years 1995 and 1996. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112/html/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112.pdf GAO/T-RCED-97-112 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-97-112 Testimony GAO/T-RCED-97-112; Farm Programs: Efforts to Achieve Equitable Treatment of Minority Farmers; Civil rights Agricultural assistance Eligibility criteria Federal employees Minorities Racial discrimination Soil conservation Direct loans Advisory committees Eligibility determinations USDA Agricultural Conservation Program FSA Direct Farm Loan Program USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program FSA Small Farmer Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program Russell County (AL) Dooly County (GA) Holmes County (MS) Glacier County (MT) Duval County (TX) Elmore (AL) Byron (GA) Jim Wells County (TX) Public Law 104-127