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  • From: "Ploughshare" <gjbrever AT midwestinfo.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Food For Folk Project
  • Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 19:30:35 -0500

Last fall I emailed the list with much excitement regarding our Food For Folk Project--an initiative that gets food from sustainable farms to organizations that work with low income folks. Our Excitement has now turned to devistation. Last year we were approach by a local RCD (Resource, Conservation and Development) that wanted to take on the project and write grants, etc. Since March of this year we have suspected that the local RCD (this nonprofit works initimately with the NRCS) was fabricating various grants, including a $150k grant from Otto Bremer Foundation, a grant from "OMRI" that was supposed to go to purchase all our organic seeds for this next season, as well as a $50k grant from Paul Newman Foundation that was to go to pay for the over $45k+ worth of vegetables that we sent through the organization last year. I have lots of documentation, and these are just 3 of the 15 or so grants that the director of this RCD said were either APPROVED or she was pursuing. .
Since April, the MN attorney general's office has been aggressively investigating this RCD. Also, in the last few weeks we have found out that other prominent organizations and businesses in our community have had the same scenerio happpen to them when they dealt with this RCD. They have now also spoken with the AG's office.
At this point, I am searching for some advocacy group that may be willing to take on the case on our behalf pro-bono. We are a small organic CSA and the $45k+ is very significant. If you can help or can think of an organization that could, please let me know.
We are also willing to go fully public with everything because it may be helpful to get media organizations on board with this in order to push the investigation along. If you can assist with this, we are willing to talk..
Sincerely,
--Gary Brever
Ploughshare Farm
P.S.--at this point I think those that should be held responsible go a lot higher than this local RCD-- I think there is a general lack of oversight on the part of the NRCS with these RC&D's. Our family has gone through hell for the past 6 months-- yet this employee who did this to us is still working in this government office, using government computers, and government vehicles.






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