FCS Diversity and Inclusion - PROPOSED RULE - MARCH 2011 Dear Mr. Van Meter,
Thank you for accepting comments on the FCS. I urge you to include the following in its final form:
1. An investment goal for local and regional food producers of 10% or more of each institution’s capital within 5 years.
2. A plan for reaching out to local farmers, including periodic, publicly available progress reports on how well this plan is working.
3. A commitment to add local farmers to the FCS board.
4. A plan for providing staff development training to FCS employees to address the uniqueness of local farming business practices, including loans, accounting, farm transfers, and business planning.
5. Appropriate business support products and loans For local growers.
6. A review of local food financing and how to use FCA resources to leverage capital to stabilize and strengthen local food financing.
Daniel Verinder 76 Pond Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130