AFRICAN AMERICAN FARM LANDS: FARMER PANEL & DISCUSSION  

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2023 

6:00PM-7:30PM 

PANELISTS: BILLY LAWTON, JEREMY PEACHES, TAMIKA CASTON-MILLER  

The rate of Black American land loss in the south has far exceeded losses for other racial and ethnic groups. Today, only 45,508 (1.3%) farms are Black owned out of the country’s 3.4 million total farmers. Billy Lawton will address efforts being taken by governmental, public and private entities to address the subject of Black land loss.  

PANELISTS:  

Billy Lawton- Billy Lawton is the Retired Program Leader for AgNR Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University. He is currently serving as Board President for the Texas Coalition of Rural Landowners. Mr. Lawton served as a member of the Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Ranchers Policy Research Center Board, which drafted Farm Bill Policy affecting this audience. He is presently serving on the Southern Rural Development Center “Heirs Property Taskforce”. Mr. Lawton has served as Project Director for several grants to conduct estate planning and property resolution training in East Texas. He has been involved in designing and delivering outreach education to farmers and ranchers on heirs’ property issues for over 12 years. 

Jeremy Peaches - Jeremy Peaches is an agricultural consultant, farmer, teacher, and advocate for underserved communities in Houston. He is the founder of Fresh Life Organic (FLO), as well as co-founder of Black Farmer Box. As a second-generation farmer, Jeremy not only learned from his family, but also attended Prairie View A&M University where he received a degree in agriculture. Jeremy’s visions are beyond day-to-day farming. “My dream is to create jobs for individuals who can’t obtain one. My goal is to produce carbon negative farms that are energy efficient with less inputs.” 

Tamika Caston-Miller - Tamika is an educator, farmsteader, yoga teacher, and community builder that runs The Ranch Houston, LLC with her wife Lenie and a team of dedicated volunteers. Tamika is focused on sharing authentic yoga movement, meditation, and conscious rest to foster healing from ancestral trauma, self-acceptance and empowerment, especially for communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Zoom class invitation and presentation links will be emailed to you a couple of days before the class date.  There are no refunds or substitutions if you cannot attend a live class. Class recordings will be sent out after the class only as available.  

Registration will close 24 hours prior to most classes and 48 hours before all Sunday classes. 

(After registration you will receive two emails, one is a receipt and the other will be sent 3 days prior to the class with event details that include Zoom link or location, parking and contact information. Contact education@urbanharvest.org for questions)