by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

On November 12, 2005 Dr. Ridgely A. Mu’min Muhammad announced that Muhammad Farms would name
its planned agricultural training building and dormitory the "William Muhammad Agriculture
Building". On Tuesday, November 15, 2005 our beloved brother and pioneer, Bro. William
Muhammad, departed from us at the age of 104. We had hoped to have raised the money to put up the
building before he had passed so that he could see that his work and name would not be forgotten by
those who benefited from his expertise and sacrifice.

Bro. William was one of the few Black farmers that we still have. We now must develop a new breed
of farmers and agricultural professionals, if Black people intend to be ready to "do for self
or die a slave" as the victims of hurricane Katrina learned. The government of the United
States showed the world that it either does not care or can not help those who can not help
themselves. Young Black people have called us or emailed us at Muhammad Farms wanting to know how
they could become farmers. Unfortunately, I had to tell them that I did not know of any university
that actually taught how to farm. The agricultural programs at the universities, both Black and
white, train students for careers in the agribusiness industry but not how to run a farm. In many
cases an agricultural student may go through four years of training and never set foot on a real
farm.

Farming requires a set of skills that one can only obtain through a combination of field
experience and classroom training. Skilled farmers attend many seminars sponsored by their local
agricultural extension service to keep up with the latest production techniques and advances. They
obtain and pass on to their sons, daughters and other farm workers their most important skills by
hands-on experience.

However, the policies and practices of the USDA has destroyed the desire for farming as a
vocation in the children of Black farmers. The Pigford v. Glickman class action lawsuit may have
been the final nail in the coffin of Black farmers. The Black farmers’ children are astute enough
to know that as an individual it would be committing economic suicide to take over and run their
parents’ farms. To combat this, the Nation of Islam’s Ministry of Agriculture has advanced the
idea of a system of agriculture where control is maintained "from the land to the man" and
we are involved in all phases of food production, processing and distribution.

I came down to Georgia in February of 1995 as the farm manager. I came with undergraduate and
graduate training and degrees in agricultural economics. However, I had enough sense to know that I
needed the advice of an experienced farmer from this area of the country to be my farm production
adviser. Allah (God) had preserved such a one in the person of Bro. William Muhammad.

Bro. William was 93 years old when I met him. He had been the advisor for this same farm in
Georgia in the 1960s and ‘70s under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. At that time
the farm was not 1600 acres but 4500 acres.

When I got here in Georgia, Bro. William taught me about the soils, the climate, what types of
crops grew well down here, the time to plant, how deep to plant the seeds, where to get the best
seeds, where to find the right equipment, how to fight the weeds and insects, how to fix old used
equipment, what business people to deal with and which to stay away from. In other words he taught
me what I could never get in a classroom and therefore could never teach to students in my courses
that I taught at North Carolina A&T State University. He not only taught me, but he had the
strength and vigor to demonstrate what he taught although he was in his 90s.

As I stated earlier, Bro. William was here on this same farm 30 years before I got to Georgia.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad put him on post and Allah (God) left him in a position to guard this
farm even after the farm was sold on the departure of the Messenger. He told me how painful it was
to see this farm sold off. He could have gone back to Detroit, but decided to stay here in the hopes
that one day we would get this farm back. Imagine waiting, hoping and praying some 20 years for a
miracle of sorts.

In 1991 The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan put the same plan in action that was set up by the
Messenger in 1963 called the "Three Year Economic Savings Program". He told me that he was
just following in the footsteps of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and was redeeming the properties
and putting back in place the programs of his teacher. Therefore, Bro. William Muhammad was brought
out of storage to teach a new breed of farmers and we learned a lot from our brother.

Now we must set up a training facility in his name on Muhammad Farms, so that we can train that
next breed of Black farmers. We need classrooms to teach them and dormitory rooms for them to spend
some time on the farm working the land. We have had a number of young people and groups to visit
Muhammad Farms for a day at a time. The young people were completely in awe over the size of the
farm operation and the work and skills necessary to run this size of farm. Many of them were
inspired to go back home and do further research as well as set up small gardens. Many of these same
students have come year after year. Now we need a place for them to stay.

Eventually we will have a full agricultural university and training center at Muhammad Farms. The
William Muhammad Agricultural Building will be the first facility established for this new growth of
a needed and continuing institution for our people. We in the Nation of Islam understand that the
man and woman are recognized by their works and remembered because of those works. One can live in
the future based on the quality and effect of our work in the present. Bro. William Muhammad has
done such great works that must be preserved and passed on to our new and never to die Nation of
Islam.

Bro. William Muhammad will be remembered long after his funeral which will be held at 1:00 pm on
Saturday, November 19, 2005 at the Albritten Funeral Home, 395 Cedar Hill Ave, Dawson, Ga.

Peace, Doc