Readers of that article could easily come away thinking the government is making good on its agreement. Walker, who has not received a penny under the consent decree, was a diary farmer for nearly 10 years. He lost his farm in 1996 due to the USDA's discriminatory loan practices. James Lyle a former hog farmer in Prince Edwards County, Virginia, who lost his farm in 1982, said that he heard of 8 to 10 people in his area who received some moneys from the claim. None of them, he pointed out, currently farm or own land.
Larger farmers do.
The night before the December 13 action, at a pre-protest meeting the mood was anxious and ready to move into the next stage of the fight. Farmers were glad to see each other and fellow fighters again. In another sign of this growing sentiment to advance the struggle of farmers, several weeks before a BFAA fund-raising banquet was held in Fort Valley, Georgia, that drew more than 200 farmers and supporters. The action called by BFAA and NBFA attracted a number of people who see themselves as part of this struggle. Among them is farmer Anna Marie Codario from New Jersey who is Italian-American and has been fighting for years to hold onto her land.