Southwest Black Ranchers Online Market & Food Hub

We are the Southwest Black Ranchers and our mission is to produce and distribute healthy food to the community. We are here to combat the current food shortage created by the COVID-19 Crisis. Our purpose is to deliver grass fed chicken, turkey, beef, eggs and natural vegetables directly from the farm to your table. Our proteins will be grazed in the Southwestern State of Arizona in the USA. We will combat COVID-19 by ensuring your food will touch less hands, prevent trips to the grocery store, maintain social distancing, and most important, keep you healthy. Support us building our farm, to bring you natural meat and veggies; allowing you to Eat Fresh, Stay Healthy and Be Strong. If 20,000 people donate at least $20 together we can build the only black operated protein ranch in Arizona! Please Share! When researching the Covid-19 Crisis and the effect on the food system, we found close to 90% of our beef supply comes from 10% of the farms (4). Covid-19 has created a crisis in the food industry, closing plants, and disrupting our current system. Smaller American farms make up 90% of the beef industry and only provide 10% of our beef. By increasing the number of small to medium sized farms we will bring diversity, helping ensure the availability of  food. The food shortage is also making people rely heavily on processed foods, which is not good for our health. We need fresh food to stay healthy and fight Covid-19. This is the reason we need people to support this farm and all other small farmers at this time.   From the peak of black farming in 1920 to present day, the number of black farms dropped from 925,000 to 45,000 (1). Over that time the biggest hit came with the abolition of the Civil Rights Department of Agriculture in the 1980’s. During this time lending to black farmers was only 51 cents to every dollar lent to white farmers. The effect created a 30% decrease in black farmers from 1982 - 1987 bringing the total down to 1.5%  of total US farms(2). We must acknowledge and learn from past discriminate practices and institutions which locked black farmers out of the markets, took their land and even their lives (3). The state of Arizona makes $431 Million from cattle each year and there are currently no black owned producer protein farms(5). We will be currently building the ONLY black owner/operator farm/ranch in the state of Arizona; distributing fresh protein, while opening the door,  paving the way and creating opportunities for future farmers. Our vision is to inspire others to grow in the farming, ranching and agricultural community while providing additional sources for our current food shortage. We will bridge the gap from our past when successful black farmers were plentiful and make that our future. This ranch will be a positive place to foster peace, learning, development and growth. We already have 4 other families who are excited to come down to periodically visit, learn and work on the ranch throughout the year. We know there will be many more. To ensure the future of fresh food we must look to the children of today. The children have become very disconnected from nature, our food and where it all comes from. This ranch will be constantly involving and educating youth about all aspects of the farm and animals. By educating the youth we will help develop the concept of farming to them, which also protects against future food shortages for generations to come. From our Family Farm, directly to your family table, Eating Fresh, Staying Healthy and Being Strong.  Let's fight this food crisis, change the future of food, build diversity,  and educate the youth; by Supporting this Ranch. Only with your love and support can we make this happen. The donations will go towards a well, pond, animals, structures, seed, fencing, refrigeration systems, butchering training, delivery vehicles, trailers, equipment, additional pasture, solar panels, a green house, an education center and more. We are building this as soon as possible, with these 12 pairs of hands and your support! We will also update you on the status of our ranch on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/southwestblackranchers/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/4Southwestblackranchers/ So you to see what your donations are building! Remember please share! If 20,000 people donate at least $20 together we will build the only Black Operating Farm and Ranch in Arizona. Any and all donations are appreciated! For a $500 donation a box a fresh vegetables will be donated and delivered to a family in need in your name, family name, organization, company, church or in the name of your choice! Please raise awareness by sharing  our message of hope and diversity for the future of food and farming on your social media, to your friends and family! We need your support! (1) Banks, V. J. (1986). Black Farmers and Their Farms. Academic Service. (2) Meridith, D. M. (2000, November 19). Black farmers hit hard by tough agricultural times. Phoenix Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2000/11/20/smallb9.html (3) ProPublica. (2020, March 2). How a Top Chicken Company Cut Off Black Farmers, One by One. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-a-top-chicken-company-cut-off-black-farmers-one-by-one (4) USDA APHIS. (2011). Small Scale US Cow Calf Operations. APHIS USDA. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/smallscale/downloads/Small_scale_beef.pdf (5) USDA NASS. (2019, October). 2017 Census of Agriculture Black Producers. Www.Nass.Usda.Gov/AgCensus. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2019/2017Census_Black_Producers.pdf