A controversial project from Ford to build a $5.6 billion electric truck and battery factory in Tennessee has caught the ire of John W. Boyd Jr., a fourth generation Black farmer, entrepreneur, and president of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA).

The state of Tennessee has marked six-square miles of land near Stanton in western Haywood County to develop BlueOval City campus, named in honour of Ford’s logo design.

The area has a population of 17,000, which is expected to benefit from Ford’s massive investment, which includes collaborating with the University of Tennessee on ecological concerns and expanding STEM education for K-12 students.

The state also says it will create 6,000 jobs and rural development, including a roadway.

But many Black farmers are questioning whether they will benefit from the development, which requires them to sell a portion of their farms. And some say the state is reportedly offering less than market value for the land.

“It’s a national disgrace," Boyd said in a statement. "This is what happens every time these mega companies come into our ancestral community. We lose our land, and their companies grow larger at the Black farmers' expense.

He also said that Ford has done little to support and assist Black farmers whose "land is subject to government seizure via eminent domain.”

In 1900, there were nearly one million Black farm families spread out across the U.S. But today, there are less than 50,000, Boyd said.

“At the turn of the century, Black farmers represented 14 per cent of the nation's farmers,” he said. “Today, we are less than one per cent of the nation's farmers.”

To fight for Black farmers, Boyd said the NBFA is considering legal action to ensure affected members get the payouts they deserve. He added that attempts to meet with Ford executives have been unsuccessful.

The plant is set to open in 2025, according to a statement.

‘We will not sit back and allow them to steal another foot of Black soil’: Boyd

One of the farmers who have spoken out recently is Marvin Sanderlin, a local farmer with 400 acres who says the government is undervaluing their land to build the Ford plant.

Sanderlin said the state offered just $37,000 or $3,750 per acre. But land near the BlueOval City campus is selling for at least $10,000 an acre in some areas, according to the Tennessee Lookout.

“That’s unheard of,” Marvin Sanderlin, a local farmer, told the Tennessee Lookout.

He added that includes the purchase of two acres of farmland outright and compensation for another eight acres of his property that will become inaccessible with the new interchange.

“You can’t buy no land here for $3,500 an acre. You can’t buy a swamp here for $3,500,” Sanderlin told Tennessee Lookout. “I told them this is the biggest ripoff there is. They want your land but don’t want you to participate in the wealth.”

In addition to the 400 acres, he started his own timber company, although he claimed it was not without opposition.

According to Sanderlin, he has spent years speaking out against the prejudice Black farmers face when applying for federal farm loan programs.

“They’re giving a $6 billion company access, but they aren’t worried about this one little farmer,” he told Tennessee Lookout. “We’re giving up land, but we’re going to get less out of this deal than anybody, and we’re impacted the most.”

The state is spending $500 million to support the investment. It has also pledged nearly $1 billion in taxpayer incentives, including funding for new roadways that connect to the I-40. The roads are expected to cut through predominantly Black-owned properties in Tipton, Haywood, and Fayette Counties, including Sanderlin’s land in Haywood County, the Lookout reports.

Last month, Gov. Bill Lee attended a public event to mark the one-year anniversary of breaking ground on the site.

He called it the "largest single investment in this state's history."

But Boyd said he believes the state is ignoring the impact the development will have on Black farmers.

"I am asking Black Americans to stop buying Ford cars and trucks," Boyd said. "We cannot buy their products when they are contributing factors to stealing our land."

Black Dollar Magazine could not get a comment from Ford at the time of writing, but has reached out.