The Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) was a
U.S. government agency established in August 1946 to replace the
Farm Security Administration. It superseded the
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration (RA) was a New Deal U.S. federal agency created May 1, 1935. It relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government. On September 1, 1937, it was succeeded by the Farm S ...
during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
and operated until 2006. FmHA mission and programs involved extending credit for agriculture and rural development. Direct and guaranteed credit went to individual farmers, low-income families, and seniors in rural areas.
Loans were authorized for housing, farm improvement, water systems, and emergency relief. FmHA also gave loans and grants for rural development. The program resulted in increased African-American land ownership in the South; for instance, black landowners increased in number in
Holmes County, Mississippi
Holmes County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi; its western border is formed by the Yazoo River and the eastern border by the Big Black River. The western part of the county is within the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. As of the 2010 ce ...
, during the 1940s. In 1960 there were still 800 black landowners in the county, who held 50% of the county land.
[Sue (Lorenzi) Sojourner, "Got to Thinking: How the Black People of Holmes Co., Mississippi Organized Their Civil Rights Movement"](_blank)
Praxis International, Exhibit, Duluth, MN Although this was the case, the FmHA favored larger-scale white farmers, making it harder for black farmers to keep their lands. Many farmers were discriminated against because of their activity in the Civil Rights Movement.
[Vann R. Newkirk II, "The Great Land Robbery"](_blank)
The Mississippi Delta’s History of Black Land Theft - The Atlantic, September 2019
Between 1947 and 1994, the FmHA expanded the availability of credit and the size of loans.
In its later years, the FmHA extended credit to individuals and communities for non-farm use. In 1994, the US Department of Agriculture was reorganized and the functions of FmHA were transferred to the
Farm Service Agency
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the United States Department of Agriculture agency that was formed by merging the farm loan portfolio and staff of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service ...
. In 2006, the FmHA was fully terminated. Its housing and community programs were transferred to the newly formed
USDA Rural Development
USDA Rural Development (RD) is a mission area within the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural parts of the United States.
Rural Development has a loan portfolio o ...
.
See also
*
Lawrence Brock
Lawrence Brock (August 16, 1906 – August 28, 1968) was a Nebraska Democratic politician.
Brock was born near Columbus, Nebraska. He graduated from Leigh High School and then the College of Pharmacy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln i ...
*
James Vernon Smith
James Vernon Smith (July 23, 1926 – June 23, 1973) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.
Biography
Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Smith was the son of Fred O. and Josephine Meder Smith, and was educated in T ...
References
External links
Records of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) NARA
Rural Economic and Community Development Service*
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United States Department of Agriculture agencies
Government agencies established in 1946
1946 establishments in the United States