By Aliya Sternstein, CQ Staff

John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, is among those being vetted for Agriculture secretary in the Obama Cabinet, an individual with knowledge of the transition process said Thursday.

Congressional Black Caucus members are backing Boyd in an attempt to reverse the department’s track record on civil rights, which government investigators and outside watchdogs have described as abysmal, aides said.

The fourth-generation farmer and civil rights activist would be a surprise choice given the leadership pedigrees of other possible nominees, such as former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. But the pick would help fulfill President-elect Barack Obama ’s pledge to include a diverse group of leaders in senior administration positions.

Black Caucus members, including Rep. Robert C. Scott , D-Va., are pulling for Boyd at least to get a spot as Farm Service Agency director in his home state of Virginia. Boyd ran unsuccessfully in 2000 for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District seat against then-independent Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. , now a Republican. Boyd’s name also has been floated as a potential assistant Agriculture secretary for civil rights, where he could help ensure that the department complies with equal opportunity laws.

“I’m counting on the Obama administration to start solving the civil rights problems at USDA,” said caucus member Edolphus Towns , D-N.Y., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement. “John Boyd is someone who has a lot of credibility with black farmers and on Capitol Hill and would be a good choice to run that office.”

Boyd said Tuesday that he would be happy to help Obama implement agriculture policy from inside or outside the administration. Like Obama, he supports tighter caps on farmer subsidies.

“USDA needs a breath of fresh air,” he said. “I think there can be improvement with farm lending, outreach and technical assistance to small and mid-scale producers. . . . small producers really haven’t been a part of the American fabric at USDA under the Bush administration.”

The Government Accountability Office last month reported that Agriculture’s “difficulties in resolving discrimination complaints persist” and “significant deficiencies remain” in civil rights performance.

Even such basic information as the number of backlogged complaints varies in public reports, auditors found.

For years, federal reports have faulted the USDA’s civil rights operations, particularly in giving minority farmers equal access to programs. The 2002 farm law (PL 107-171) created the assistant secretary position to elevate this responsibility within USDA.

At an Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing in May, Boyd condemned the actions of an Agriculture official who allegedly sent an e-mail message to colleagues encouraging them to oppose a farm bill provision that would compensate black farmers for past discrimination.

Obama rallied for that farm bill provision to let black farmers who were wrongly denied financial aid in the past seek damages from USDA.

For decades, the department denied applications for loans and credits on the basis of race, a federal district court concluded in 1999, when it ordered that restitution be paid. But many claimants missed the filing deadline. The enacted provision in the new farm law (PL 110-246) reopens the claims process for black farmers who had submitted late requests.