Market Farming

["Ploughshare" <gjbrever AT midwestinfo.net>]

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.