In the Oldest Town in Texas, Black Farmers Gathered to Secure Their Future

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Jermal Sanders fell in love with farming as a child. When he saw the seeds he planted produce fruit, he began to take farming more seriously. He took agriculture classes in middle school — from gardening to horticulture. As a 26-year-old, he’s building a farm to call his own. On a scorching […] The post In the Oldest Town in Texas, Black Farmers Gathered to Secure Their Future appeared first on Capital B News.

Jun 17, 2026 - 13:01

In the Oldest Town in Texas, Black Farmers Gathered to Secure Their Future

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Jermal Sanders fell in love with farming as a child.

When he saw the seeds he planted produce fruit, he began to take farming more seriously. He took agriculture classes in middle school — from gardening to horticulture.

As a 26-year-old, he’s building a farm to call his own.

On a scorching hot Friday morning, Sanders made an hourslong trek to Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, a week before Juneteenth. He traveled to gain more insight into farming, but he got even more: a celebration around food, health, and agriculture.

The convening occurred over 190 miles south of Galveston, the birthplace of Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, 250,000 Black people learned they were finally free. Yet, the promise for some still remains in question, as Black farmers continue to face attacks on their land, finances, and opportunity to get an equitable share of resources from federal agencies.

Despite the obstacles, organizations like the International Farmers and Ranchers have created a space to support Black producers and ensure they aren’t left behind.

From June 10 to June 12, the group hosted its second-annual summit, focusing on “Remembering Our Past, Sustaining the Past and Planning for the Future.” Over three days, local, state, and national experts — from healthcare and finance to agriculture — discussed strategies to build healthier Black communities, build more sustainable farms, and cultivate the next generation of farmers.

The Agriculture and Forestry Summit was founded by Igalious “Ike” Mills and his family, who are Nacogdoches natives. Mills, a third-generation farmer, has done it all: from picking cotton and corn to raising produce, cattle, hay, and timber.

“That’s what our focus is, really trying to pass this on to the youth because it’s not about us. We got to leave a legacy for them to be able to pick up,” Mills told a local news outlet. “They need to know how cucumbers are grown … strawberries. They need to know all of that.”

The recent International Farmers and Ranchers annual summit sought to build healthier Black communities, build more sustainable farms, and cultivate the next generation of farmers. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

Cowboy salad, praise dancing, and purpose

Sanders wasn’t the only one who traveled to Nacogdoches. Dozens of youth, elders, and even actors David and Tamela Mann gathered for fellowship and to learn.

Mills saw a disconnect with Black farmers in Southeast Texas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He learned Black farmers weren’t participating in the agency’s programs due to mistrust, lack of information, and the historic discrimination.

“Let’s face it, you’re not going to find a lot of those white representatives in old agencies going out into the backwoods to find people that look like me in the rural areas, and so somebody’s got to do it,” Mills previously told Capital B. “Sometimes we have to almost have a tractor to get onto their land. But somebody’s got to do that.”

To bridge the gap, his organization created the summit to bring leaders directly to the farmers to provide information farmers wouldn’t get otherwise, he said. This year, retired and current USDA employees shared the agency’s program offerings and services.

Organizers created the summit to provide information farmers wouldn’t get otherwise. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

Kenya Nicholas, who worked with the USDA for more than three decades, encouraged farmers, ranchers, and youth to take advantage of technology, summer programs, and partnerships to create generational wealth.

“They can cut all our programs, but they cannot cloud our purpose,” she told the audience. “Find your people. Purpose cannot be legislated. It’s your purpose, it’s your calling. It can’t be defunded, because that’s what God gave you.”

This year, the programming expanded to include presentations on health and nutrition, particularly given the health disparities among Black communities. Local health officials encouraged attendees to get free blood pressure checks and other health screenings. They also launched a youth track to introduce them to the industry.

Omie Cromier, an 83-year-old educator and health advocate, pranced across the floor, illustrating praise dance as a form of exercise. Using fresh ingredients, a team from Texas A&M Afterlife Extension Service whipped up a healthy Cowboy Salad for attendees to try. (Keep reading to try the recipe yourself.)

The recipe for Cowboy Salad served at the summit. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)

By lunch time, a serving line filled quickly to pile plates with local BBQ delicacies: beef and sausage, baked beans, peach cobbler, and other fixins’.

Sanders knew he had to be in the room after his mother, who was a speaker at last year’s convening, told him about it.

He felt he had made the right connections and resources he had longed for to advance his farming operation. Already it’s been difficult to find space and funding, he said.

“I don’t have a large-scale operation. It’s just something like a balcony garden, and I do have a lot more stuff that I want to grow or experiment growing with,” Sanders told Capital B. “Luckily I’m starting to get more connections with people.”