Caution! Be aware! USDA Discriminatory Practices

Mr. Short, Your contract has come up on a national audit list, 

1. Missing the practice implementation deadline after receiving an advance payment.

2. Nothing done in 12 months.

3. Being behind schedule on a contracted item.

4. Use and maintenance of items installed with federal financial assistance.

I have to respond to this federal audit.

During Our conversation you promised to email me paperwork on 4/19-20/2017 proving that the property in the EQIP contract is currently in court, I have not received an email from you. “Your word is not proof”. That document needs to be in folder prior to me responding to the national audit. Please provide proof that the property in your EQIP is currently in… etc.

Nadia‘s Farm asserts that it was the USDA/ NRCS who initiated the land dispute on the WORD of a white man trespassing on my family’s land claiming the property was his, (without any proof or documentation), just his WORD.

In 2015/2016, the USDA/ NRCS sent land surveyors on my land to do an assessment of the land. While doing their work, they were approached by a white man claiming the land for himself, then the surveyors immediately stopped their work and left. No one told me the reason for this until I demanded it from the USDA/ NRCS office in Fort Valley  Georgia, they (Calvin Essex / Ray Jones) told me nothing. Then, I called the USDA Discrimination hotline to complain about the unequal treatment I was receiving from the USDA. Sometime later, I was informed from one of the surveyors and Ray Jones about what happened. I demanded to be treated equal, I had already provided the USDA with my ownership of the land years ago when we started Nadia’s Farm. I told the USDA Discrimination hotline this and proved it. At some point in time they realized this and was forced to resume their survey. The land dispute was eventually settled, this took some time and investigation. However, it was the discriminatory actions of the USDA who initiated the land dispute on a Caucasian man’s WORD, and in the email the USDA/ Calvin Essex sent me, it states that they cannot take my WORD that I need proof, which they already had.

The actions that the USDA took against me and the time it took me to investigate and reach a conclusion is what prolonged my allotted time to construct, by the time I was ready to resume my obligations, the USDA had initiated the garnishment of my taxes. By the way, we still own the land @1903 Carver Dr. Fort Valley Georgia , 31030 as of 2024.

I applied for farm loans, grants, and scholarships to enhance Nadia’s Farm, I was told that I was moving too fast, however, I did not let the discouragement stop my progress/process, I filled out all the applications that was given to me in a package from USDA/Ray Jones, and was told the farm loan would take a while to process. While continuing on our path to succeed waiting on all the USDA  programs to kick in,I always ran into problems getting help, I always reminded the USDA/ Ray Jones about reluctant/discouragement attitude. After the survey fiasco/ garnishment and not hearing from the USDA, we did the best we could to elevate our brand and continue to buy produce from other farmers to service our catering customers while in limbo dealing with the USDA.