By Milton Kirby | Birmingham, AL | October 12, 2025

The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) will convene its 2025 Annual Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, from October 31 to November 1, uniting farmers, policymakers, and civil rights advocates from across the country for two days of education, empowerment, and strategy.

This year’s theme focuses on building capacity and identifying resources for small-scale, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and landowners. The conference’s hands-on training sessions and educational workshops are designed to provide practical tools, proven techniques, and access to vital programs that strengthen the economic resilience of Black farmers and rural communities.

Prominent Voices in Attendance

Among the confirmed attendees are civil rights attorney Ben Crump, NBFA President John Wesley Boyd Jr., and Kara Brewer Boyd, the organization’s First Lady and national outreach coordinator.

John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer, civil rights activist, and founder of the NBFA, lives in Boydton, Virginia, with his wife Kara. He operates a 1,500-acre family farm cultivating soybeans, corn, wheat, and produce, while raising beef cattle, American Guinea Hogs, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and chickens.

A lifelong farmer and advocate, Boyd spent 14 years as a Perdue Farms breeder and many more as a tobacco farmer before forming the NBFA in the early 1990s. His leadership has brought him to the table with national and international agricultural leaders, working to eliminate discrimination in federal farm programs and expand opportunities for underserved farmers. Boyd’s story has been featured in the History Channel docuseries The American Farm, chronicling his fight to sustain his family’s land against the odds.

Conference Highlights

Hosted at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex, the 2025 event celebrates the 35th anniversary of the NBFA’s founding. Over two days, attendees will participate in sessions focused on climate resilience, federal lending access, rural broadband expansion, hemp and specialty crops, and youth engagement in agriculture.

Workshops will be paired with a Farm Expo, women’s leadership roundtables, and networking receptions designed to connect attendees directly with USDA officials, lenders, and private sponsors.

“The NBFA has been the voice of our community for 35 years,” said Boyd. “This conference is about more than policy—it’s about passing on the tools and land that sustain us.”

Opportunities and Deadlines

The Annual NBFA Conference offers marketing, exhibitor, and sponsorship opportunities for partners who share its mission to build an equitable agricultural future.

For sponsorship, exhibitor, or advertiser information, contact Kara Boyd at nbfa.kara@gmail.com.
Reservation deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

Please consider supporting open, independent journalism – no contribution is too small!