FCS Diversity and Inclusion - PROPOSED RULE - MARCH 2011
Dear Mr. Van Meter,
As a director of a food cooperative and a consumer, I applaud the efforts to diversify the Farm Credit Service's loan portfolio.
I am particularly interested in the FCS doing a careful study of who gets its loans and then make an effort to identify where it can make more loans to those borrowers identified as local and regional food producers.
The over-dependence on large producers is a threat to our national food security, and I believe the FCS can have a tremendously positive affect on this security by targeting local and regional food producers, using the criteria in the Farm Bill.
Another particular concern is lending activity that supports loca and regional infrastructure, such as aggregation, processing, distributing and marketing local and regionally produced agricultural products. Again, our national food security would be strengthened as this infrastructure is strengthened.