Lawsuit: Black farmers were sold 'fake' seeds

Black farmers, whose numbers already have dwindled precipitously over the past century, face new hardships�after suffering�poor yields�last year, because they were�sold "fake" soybean seeds marketed at a Memphis trade show, members of a group representing African-American growers said Tuesday.

Leaders of�the Memphis-based Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association have�filed a class-action lawsuit against Stine Seed Co., the nation's largest independent seed-producer, accusing the Adel, Iowa, firm of targeting African-Americans for sales of defective seeds.

The suit alleges that black farmers who attended the 67th Annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in March of last year bought more than $100,000 worth of�Stine�seeds. But the "certified" seeds the growers had paid for were switched with inferior ones at a warehouse near Sledge, Miss., according to the suit.

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Stine, in a statement issued Tuesday night, strongly denied the allegations and said it would mount a vigorous defense against the "meritless" lawsuit.

The lawsuit is the latest action by the BFAA, which also has represented some of the African-American�farmers claiming widespread discriminatory practices against�by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Following an initial class-action lawsuit against USDA,�nearly 16,000 growers had collected settlements totaling $1.06 billion by 2011. Congress has appropriated $1.2 billion to pay for a second wave of settlements.

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Winter wheat is harvested in a field farmed by Dalton and Carson North near McCracken, Kan. Kansas farmers are harvesting a smaller winter wheat crop amid an ongoing drought.  CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat stands ready to by harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan. The government forecast U.S. winter wheat production at nearly 1.2 billion bushels, down 6 percent from last year.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat is harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan. Kansas is the nation's leading wheat producer with a forecast of 270 million bushels, down 19 percent compared to a year ago. Kansas is expected to harvest 7.3 million acres of wheat.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat is harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat is harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat is harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat stands ready to by harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.  CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat stands ready to by harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.  CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat stands ready to by harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.  CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat stands ready to by harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.  CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreen Winter wheat is harvested in a field near McCracken, Kan.   CHARLIE RIEDEL, APFullscreenInterested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:Replay1 of 112 of 113 of 114 of 115 of 116 of 117 of 118 of 119 of 1110 of 1111 of 11AutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide

BFAA president Thomas Burrell said at a news conference Tuesday that the number of black farmers has dropped from nearly 1 million in 1920 to about 5,000 today largely as a result of "systemic racism." The�low yields resulting from the�"fake" seeds could�drive more minority growers out of business, he said.��

"The few remaining black farmers, who have survived drought, who have survived tariffs, who have survived all kinds of natural disasters... are now finding themselves having to deal with the government of systemic racism by not only the Department of Agriculture, but now seed-manufacturers, seed-breeders, chemical manufacturers who now are weaponizing and have weaponized their seeds," Burrell said.

Farmers using the seeds reported yields that were only half�those from other varieties, according to the suit. At the news conference, BFAA officials distributed laboratory results from Mississippi State University showing that none of the farmers' seeds that had been submitted for testing germinated.

"Upon learning of these claims, the company took swift action to conduct an internal investigation, which has not revealed any evidence that would support these allegations," Stine president Myron Stine said in a statement.�"Our focus is on continuing to serve all our customers with the highest degree of integrity and respect that are the bedrock of our company��s values.��

He said the company has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

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The U.S. hiked tariffs on Chinese imports Friday. Beijing has said it would be forced to counterattack. China could put higher tariffs on a number of U.S. goods including soybeans, whiskey and pork. That has pork farmers worried. (July 6) AP

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