(soft guitar music) (tractor engine revs) - [Narrator] Black people have been farming Virginia land since the arrival of the first Africans in 1619.

It was a natural transition that once free many would continue to use those skills to survive.

But for the Black farmer the road to land ownership and total independence has been arduous.

(soft guitar music) For example, when Congress voted to end 80 years of subsidizing tobacco farmers, also known as deregulation, they set aside close to $10 billion in compensation to help farmers adjust to the loss of income.

As a result, thousands retired, but many Black farmers were not informed of the payout, and those who did know, if they carried outstanding federal loans, were declared ineligible.

Prior to deregulation and payouts, tobacco was the south's cash crop for decades.

It provided a steady income for Black farmers, among them, the Garner family.

- My name is James Garner, and I'm the third generation tobacco farmer.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] During planting season, which takes place in the spring, Garner has a few long days.

- I get up about 5:30 and I went to pick up my tobacco plants from the greenhouse and get everything back here ready so we could start planting.

And we started planting probably about 7:30.

We worked 10 hours that day.

- [Narrator] Outside of planting and harvesting season, Garner says he spends about five hours a day tending his fields.

- I'm working 15 acres of tobacco land.

The weather play a big part.

You know, if you constantly get rain quite a bit, it'll make tobacco grow fast.

But if the weather is late, the rain come late, well, that's gonna make your crop late.

The worst thing that can happen is dry weather, 'cause if you have a real dry season your crop ain't gonna be much good.

- [Narrator] Garner loves what he does and would like to work the land full time.

But unlike his father and grandfather, he can't afford to do so.

- It's just hard to make a living doing it today.

It's hard to get help now 'cause people don't wanna work in tobacco.

You're almost have to beg people to work and pay 'em.

So that's why I got a second job.

I work at ABB.

We make transformers.

I can't make a living with 15 acres of tobacco.

- [Narrator] About a century ago, Black farmers made up 14% of America's farmers.

Today, the number has dwindled to less than 2%.

James Garner is well aware that he's one of a handful of Black farmers in the Danville area, but for now, he'll do what he can so he can continue to do what he loves.

- I take vacation days to work on the farm.

I took last week, the whole week off, and worked on the farm every single day.

That's what I do.

My supervisors and stuff, they know he ain't taking off to go on no trip, he taking off to work.

(James laughs) And that's what I do.

- [Narrator] While Garner plants, harvests, and stores tobacco for market, the offspring of another multi-generational tobacco family, Ed Harrison, shares how he chose to use the knowledge he gained working on his family's tobacco farm to become one of the areas first Black tobacco buyers.

- I told my dad at one time I said, "My back hurt."

He said, "Oh boy, you're not big as a back" you know.

He made a comment like that and so, we had to work.

And we got up early in the morning was wet.

Lotta dew on the tobacco plants got you real wet.

I figured it had to be a better way I could use education to improve my options.

I didn't have anything against farming 'cause I majored in agriculture when I went to college, but I didn't want to continue to be a farmer.

I ended up talking to a gentleman who had found a job at Philip Morris.

They were looking for supervisors to come in the plant in Richmond.

I worked there for about two years and they were looking for someone to be in the leaf department area.

They selected me to be in a six-year training program.

You have to understand, I learned that the lingo that they use and then you bid with your finger.

You know, if you bid, if he's saying 180 you say one, you hold your finger, but it means you going to 181, two, three, on like that.

And then if you do this, it means 170.

That's a zero.

And you go one, two, three, four, five.

- [Narrator] He says when they later changed his position, which would've meant returning to the plant in Richmond, he decided it was time to bid his work with tobacco farewell and moved on to something new.

But his memories of being a buyer are quite vivid.

And he smiles when he thinks about the Black tobacco farmers he was able to assist during that time.

- They would see me, they were very excited and I always do all I could to give 'em good price for their tobacco.

And I would ask the other buyers, "Come on, help this man," you know.

I almost felt like I knew them because I could sympathize with them what they were going through raising this tobacco.

And the hard time they maybe gonna have to make ends meet.

- Last year, we had a real bad season.

It was dry.

A lotta farmers actually quit because it was bad.

- [Narrator] He says if he ever gives up tobacco farming he'd like to raise cows.

But for now he works hard preparing for what he hopes will be a good crop.

(soft banjo music)