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REMINDER: NAAF Board of Trustee Positions Close Friday, January 20

NAAF proudly supports Native producers throughout the United States. If you believe you can help make a difference in the lives of Native American/Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian citizens and communities, please apply to serve as a Board of Trustee. Special emphasis is provided to applicants with a direct connection to the Keepseagle v. Vilsack class action that NAAF was derived from.


NAAF will be accepting applications through January 20, 2023. If selected for an interview, interviews will take place Feb. 10 - Feb. 17, 2023 via Zoom.

Apply for Board of Trustee

2023 National Agriculture in the Classroom NAAF Scholarship

Deadline: February 15, 2023 by 11:59 pm EST


The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) is pleased to partner with the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) to help sponsor teachers to attend the upcoming NAITCO "Beyond the Beaches" conference in Orlando, FL from June 26, 2023 - June 29, 2023.


In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you need to either: teach at a Tribal government operated school, a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school, or a BIE-supported school, a school on a reservation teaching Native students; teach at a non-reservation school that has a high percentage of Native American students; or be a teacher with Tribal affiliation.


Scholarships Include:

πŸ“ - conference registration

✈️ - flight costs

🏨 - hotel costs


We strongly believe in the future of agriculture and we also strongly believe that teachers are a critical link to helping Native students become more familiar with food and agriculture concepts and information. We look forward to receiving your application and connecting with you both during and after the conference.

Fill out the Application

Intertribal Agriculture Council Regenerative Agriculture

Are you using regenerative agriculture practices (such as rotational grazing, reduced tillage or cover crops) on your farm or ranch?


If so, consider joining a new project that IAC is conducting in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund. The goal of this project is to better understand the full impact that regenerative agriculture provides to Native producers – and insights from farms and ranches like yours can help.


Visit the Intertribal Agriculture Council website to learn more about the project and how you can get involved: https://www.indianag.org/regenerative-agriculture-projects


Visit IAC Website

Native AGvocate

This spring, the Native Farm Bill Coalition is organizing a series of β€œfly-ins” for Tribal leaders and Native producers across the country to talk directly with members of Congress, their staff, and the Biden Administration. By participating in these fly-ins, Coalition members will have the opportunity to advocate for policy changes that would positively impact Indian Country, such as strengthening tribal self-governance, allowing Tribes to manage nutrition programs, investing in economic development opportunities in rural communities, and much more.


To learn more about the tentative schedule and fly in details visit the NFBC website.

Learn More about the NFBC Fly ins

The Importance of the Upcoming Census of Agriculture

The Census of Agriculture helps inform programming and support, such as increasing access to capital and investments in infrastructure at all levels of national, state, and tribal policies. The data gathered from the census is used by many entities, including NAAF, to help conduct outreach efforts to areas with high populations of Native producers to help support them through grantmaking opportunities. Native producers have been underrepresented in agricultural policies due to a lack of accurate data representation.


Filling out the Agriculture Census will provide the foundation for future advocacy initiatives and will be a step towards providing equitable policies which uplift Native agriculture. Learn more about how the Ag Census helps show the impact of diversity of agriculture in Indian Country.


Join us as we show the diversity and strength within Indian Country.


Deadline February 2023ο»Ώ

Visit the USDA portal

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Project: Solicitation of Proposals for Additional Tribal Organizations To Participate

Proposals will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on January 31, 2023.


The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is soliciting proposals from eligible Tribal Organizations to participate in a demonstration project to purchase agricultural commodities for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). This demonstration project is authorized under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Response to this solicitation is available to Tribal Organizations that administer FDPIR and have not previously been awarded a contract. 

Read More

Tribal Consultation and Listening Session on Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2023

Time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. CT


In-Person: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

777 W. Cherokee Street (Room TBA)

Catoosa, OK 74015


The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosting a joint consultation and listening session on Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act.

 

USDA Offering Virtual Option to Join Today, Thursday, January 19, 2023

Time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. CT

 

Virtual: www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsceGvrjotExNiAbRBNVeLeTATFytKA7Q

 

The open public comment period for this consultation may be submitted through Thursday, February 2, 2023, to s.brett.offutt@usda.gov.

Tribal Leader Briefing Materials
Learn More

STUDENT RESOURCES

TAF Scholarship Open

ο»Ώ

Tribal Agriculture Fellowship is looking to fill their second cohort with the next generation of agricultural professionals and will be accepting applications through February 10, 2023. The mission of the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship is to create opportunities for Indigenous students to advance their education in agriculture, increase specialized knowledge and preserve the legacy of agriculture in Tribal communities.

 

Who should apply:

  • College students who are Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian
  • Member or descendant of a Tribe or Indigenous community.
  • Rising and current technical, undergraduate, and graduate student

 

Tribal Agriculture Fellowship resources can be utilized for:

  • tuition & fees, 
  • housing,
  • meal plans,
  • equipment fees and testing costs 

 

For more information visit: www.taffellows.org or email info@taffellows.org

Visit TAF Website

Application Deadlines Extended β€” Apply Now for Leland and Emerson Hunger Fellowships!


Don't miss your chance to join a dynamic cohort of leaders in the movement to end hunger in the U.S. and globally! The deadlines have been extended to apply to the Mickey Leland International and Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowships until 11:59 p.m. EST, Thursday, January 26.


Learn More Here

HIRING NOW

Job Opportunity with Bay Mills Community College: Livestock Educator

The Livestock Educator will provide support for the Waishkey Bay Farm of Bay Mills Community College, under shared supervision of the Farm Manager and Land Grant Director. The Livestock Educator will work closely with the Waishkey Bay Farm team to carry out day-to-day livestock activities. This includes activities such as poultry production management, travel/professional development planning, mobile processing unit construction/purchasing oversight, planning and facilitation of poultry processing educational activities, sales and distribution, and production and processing record keeping. Position will be exposed to out-door weather conditions, in close proximity to livestock. Use of equipment such as farm tractors and implements, all-terrain vehicles, and other motorized tools will be required. 

Learn More and Apply

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Tag us, @nativeagfund, in your social media posts and we'll reach out to you to highlight in our next newsletter!

Robeson Community College

Lumberton, North Carolina

Learn more about the 2019 NAAF grant at Robeson Community College. With NAAF funding, RCC offered scholarships to students interested in agriculture careers and provided continuing education classes for farmers, ranchers and growers looking to promote their businesses. Over $85,000 was provided to 6 Native students (8 students total) via grants and small business lending.

Read the FactSheet

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Grantee Resources

University of Colorado

Boulder, Co

From 2021-2022, First Peoples Worldwide engaged Native farmers, ranchers, harvesters, fishers, chefs, and entrepreneurs in the U.S. – over 85 participants in total –  to research the current state of Native food supply chains. These encompass any situation where a Native American-owned food business is sourcing from Native food suppliers, buying from or selling to other Native-owned food businesses, selling to Native customers, or working with Native-owned businesses for transportation, processing, or other aspects of the food supply chain.


The culminating report, Supply Chains and Sovereignty: Native-led Food Systems Solutions shows that Native food supply chains are a vital approach to enacting food sovereignty. Research examines overarching trends within Native food chains across industries and collates recommendations towards strengthening these chains from the perspectives of Native food producers. The report spotlights Indigenous values such as sustainability, community health, and generational approaches in Native food businesses; innovation and economic resilience after COVID-19 pandemic impacts; and an array of Native visions for food supply chains from Native food producers working today.


Overarching themes in the report include:

  • Native food businesses are creating food systems that care for both Native and non-Native people, guided by Indigenous values and self-determination.
  • Systemic racism and inequitable access to capital continue to have profound and far-reaching impacts on Native food systems, from lack of infrastructure to limited personnel bandwidth.
  • Many of the barriers limiting the current supply of Native-produced foods can be addressed through creating sustained and equitable access to capital.
  • At the broadest level, Native food producers are creating immense social value through their work, guided by Indigenous values that see the interconnections between Native food systems and individual, social, and environmental wellbeing.


Read the Report

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