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Tribal Programs and Services

USDA offers a variety of programs and services that are available to Tribal Governments, Tribal communities and organizations, and individual Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. The Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) is dedicated to ensuring that Tribes have relevant information on the programs and services available at USDA.

For additional information on all Programs, please visit the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and search by agency for USDA.

Farm Bill

News

USDA Tribal Resources

Upcoming Listening Sessions

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Room: Pan American

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service will be discussing upcoming changes to regulations, policies, and procedures that may have an impact on Indian country. This session will provide background on the changes, answer questions related to such changes, and discuss how Tribes who would like to provide formal feedback on any of these changes can request a formal consultation.

Previous Listening Sessions

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a listening session on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 3pm ET. This event will provide an opportunity to highlight AMS programs and services. It will also give AMS an opportunity to hear directly from you about how we can better serve Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Please feel free to share this with others who may benefit from this information. An agenda, which includes HEMP, will be emailed soon.

Date: December 5, 2019
Time: 3pm ET
Toll Free: 844-767-5679
Assess Code: 2225422

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a listening session on a variety of topics. Please find the information below.

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST
Conference Call
Toll Free: (800) 230-1059
No access code needed
Additional Information (PDF, 193 KB)

Agenda Items:

Milk Donation and Reimbursement Program Updates
USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee Nominations (PDF, 222 KB)
Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Regulation Updates
Seed Regulatory and Testing Division (SRTD) Updates
AgTransport Data Portal
RMA/GAP Funding in 16 States and Harmonized GAP Handbook
Hemp Production Program Updates

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Quarterly Tribal Listening Session Conference Call

Date: June 13, 2019
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Eastern
Toll Free Call-In Number: 800-230-1092 (No access code needed)
Agenda Items include updates on research and promotion boards and updates on hemp production program.

Feral Swine Farm Bill Listening Session

Date: Friday, April 5, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Please join APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea and NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr along with members of their leadership teams, including APHIS Associate Administrators Mike Gregoire and Mike Watson and NRCS Acting Associate Chief Kevin Norton on Friday, April 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT for a Farm Bill Listening Session via teleconference. This listening session is an opportunity for interested State and Tribal partners as well as stakeholders to comment on the feral swine provision in the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 that will be jointly managed by APHIS and NRCS.

We recognize that many of you live outside of the Washington, D.C., area, and we hope this call-in format makes it easy for you to participate in the upcoming session and share your thoughts on implementation.

The summary pasted below provides a brief overview of the feral swine farm bill provision. The listening session will also begin with a short briefing on the provisions followed by stakeholder comments for the remainder of the call. In order to hear from as many participants as possible, we ask that you plan to limit your comments to 3 minutes or less. If you would like to provide a written copy of your comments either before or after the listening session, you can do so by sending them to hallie.zimmers@usda.gov.

To participate in the listening session, we ask that you please register in advance by clicking on the link below and providing your name, organization and email address. Once you submit your information, you will promptly receive an email that includes the call-in number and a unique conference code to enter the call. You will also have the opportunity to join by webinar. The listening session will be recorded.

If you would like to make other colleagues aware of this event, please forward them the link below. To avoid any problems connecting to the call, do not share your unique code.

Registration Link: ems8.intellor.com?do=register&t=1&p=813125

We look forward to hearing from you.

Agricultural Marketing Service Listening Session

Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Teleconference Dial-In Number: (800) 230-1059

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a listening session on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 3pm eastern. This event will provide an opportunity to highlight AMS programs and services. It will also give AMS an opportunity to hear directly from you, the leaders, about how we can better serve Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Please feel free to share this with others who may benefit from this information.

Agenda Items:

  • Updates on Research & Promotion Boards (Patty Petrella)
  • Hemp Production Program (Patty Bennett)
  • Foods for the FDPIR Program (Terry Lutz)
  • Native American-owned Vendors Expand their Eligibility Status
  • Upcoming AMS Jobs

February 14, 2019 - USDA Food and Nutrition Service Listening Session

October 20, 2018 – Invite and Agenda for USDA General Listening Session at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention (PDF, 711 KB)

Upcoming Webinars

Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (the 2501 Program)

Date: Thursday, January 16, 2020

Time: 3pm EST

Learn what the Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Rangers Program is, what the funding priorities are, examples of previously funded projects, and how to connect with a technical assistance provider.

To sign up, please visit this Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program Event Information page.

NCAI and Center for Indian Development’s Homeownership Webinars

What: A four-part webinar series on increasing homeownership across Indian Country based on the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ Center for Indian Country Development’s Tribal Leaders Handbook on Homeownership.

Who: NCAI's Partnership for Tribal Governance and the CICD are partnering to inform tribal leaders, tribal housing staff and their partners about best practices for homeownership program development and growth.

When: The first webinar session is on Thursday, January 9, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST

Webinar 1: Overview of homeownership in Indian Country

Topics

An overview of the Tribal Leaders Handbook on Homeownership; how tribal leaders can support homeownership; and planning to drive tribal citizen self-sufficiency and asset building, economic development, and community transformation through homeownership development.

Panelists

  • Patrice Kunesh, former director, Center for Indian Country Development
  • Joanna Donohoe, partner, Seven Sisters Community Development Group, LLC

To register, please visit the NCAI-CICD Webinar: Overview of Homeownership in Indian Country page.

To learn more and register for the three next sessions:

NCAI Contact: Tyler Scribner, Policy Analyst, tscribner@ncai.org

Prospective Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Applicant Webinar Information

Time: January 29, 2020; 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Gov Meeting www.zoomgov.com/j/1609989800

Meeting ID: 160 998 9800

One tap mobile

  • +16692545252,1609989800# US (San Jose)
  • +16468287666,1609989800# US (New York)

Dial by your location (Meeting ID: 160 998 9800)

Join by SIP: 1609989800@sip.zoomgov.com

Archived Webinars

Community Forest and Open Space Program Webinar

Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Time: 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm EST
Webinar Link: usfs.adobeconnect.com/spf-flp
Audio: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633
Access Code: 0174974##
For Assistance: 1-301-250-7202

The Community Forest and Open Space Program is a competitive grant program whereby local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes are eligible to apply for grants to establish community forests through fee simple acquisition of private forest land from a willing seller. The purpose of the program is to establish community forests by protecting forest land from conversion to non-forest uses and provide community benefits such as sustainable forest management, environmental benefits including clean air, water, and wildlife habitat; benefits from forest-based educational programs; benefits from serving as models of effective forest stewardship; and recreational benefits secured with public access.

The USDA Forest Service will present a webinar on Wednesday, September 18 to:

  • Provide an overview of the Community Forest Program and the current Request for Applications;
  • Share information about the Hall Mountain Community Forest with Tommy Cabe, forester with the Cherokee Nation, and
  • Answer questions.

Note: Please join Adobe Connect and dial in on the phone at least 5 minutes early in case of difficulties.

National Environmental Policy Act Webinar

The USDA Forest Service will be publishing a proposed rule to update our National Environmental Policy Act regulations (36 CFR 220). You are invited to attend an information-sharing webinar (PDF, 137 KB) for Tribes to learn about the changes in the proposed rule and the tribal consultation process.

The proposed rule is a key component of our agency-wide effort to improve our environmental analysis and decision-making processes. It is the result of robust input from agency personnel, the public, and other stakeholders. The changes in the proposed rule can help us better manage sustainable, healthy, and productive National Forests and Grasslands. It will help us be more efficient without sacrificing our commitment to delivering high quality, science-based analysis, and making decisions that honor our environmental stewardship responsibilities.

The dates of the Tribal informational webinars are:

Monday, June 24, 2019 at 1:30pm – 3:00pm (EDT)
Friday, July 12, 2019 at 1:00pm – 2:30pm (EDT)
Webinar link: usfs.adobeconnect.com/neparule-500

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee (COC) Tribal Outreach Webinar

This recorded webinar is available at: www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/outreach-and-education/webinars/index.

Keeping the Tradition (traditional foods, that is!) Alive: Community Food Systems in Native Communities

What Does Farm to School Look Like in Native American Communities? Recording

Incorporating Traditional Foods in Child Nutrition Program Menus Recording | April 20, 2016 Presentation (PDF, 7.5MB)

Tribal Supportive Housing Webinar Series

Permanent Supportive Housing: A Comprehensive Approach to Tribal Housing

Promising Practice in Permanent Supportive Housing: Principles in Action

Federal Financial and Non-Financial Resources to Build Trauma Informed Tribal Housing

Educational Opportunities and Resources

Scholarships for Native American Students: Learn about Financial Aid, Advocacy Groups and Tribal Colleges

InterTribal Technical Assistance Network

USDA deployed the InterTribal Technical Assistance Network (Network) to ensure Tribal governments, communities, and individuals receive technical assistance to improve their access to USDA programs and services. The Network helps USDA deliver its programs and services to farmers and ranchers who are focusing on providing local and traditional food to tribal members and improving the market access for tribally-produced foods. The Network supports members of tribes across the United States, potentially benefitting 55 million acres of reservation lands and the communities located on those lands: www.indianag.org/technicalassistance.