Smithfield, Virginia – Smithfield Foods Inc. is pleased to welcome the Martins of J & J Martin Farm Produce, the first family farmers to participate in its new contract grower program.
The Martins are descendants of Harry Martin, a North Carolina man who escaped enslavement and enlisted in the Union Armey during the Civil War as the member of the 135th United States Colored Troops. Harry Martin purchased land in 1883 that he later endowed to his children.
Larry Martin, a descendant of Harry Martin, has led the operations for Martin Farms since 1986. In 2011, a weather event destroyed the hog barn, and the Martins were unable to raise hogs.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), minority farmers represent just 5% of farmers in America and less than 2% identify as Black.
The program supports Black and other minority farmers and diversifies its hog supply chain. It helps address historic barriers disproportionally facing Black and other minority farmers such as access to capital and cost of capital.
The program is part of Smithfield’s $15 million Unity and Action commitment to further diversity, equity and inclusion in food manufacturing, agriculture, and education.
Smithfield’s new contract grower initiative has enabled the Martin family to return to their legacy of hog farming and will empower additional minority farmers to enter or re-enter the industry.
"As the events of 2020 initiated important conversations about race, justice and inclusion in America, we began to reflect on the fact that many of our farms were minority-managed, but not minority-owned," says Steve Evans, Director of Community Development for Smithfield Foods.
"This sparked a larger conversation for Smithfield about what we could do as a leader in our industry to increase access to agriculture for Black and other minority farmers and help break through systemic barriers that are impeding their inclusion."
By the end of 2021, the company expects to have signed at least three more minority farmers to the program.
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Source : Smithfield