Native American Beginning Farmer
Rancher Development Program
SDSU Department of Health & Nutritional Sciences
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I M PA C T S TAT E M E N T
Public Value
This program focuses on the recruitment, training and empowerment
of tribal members on three South Dakota reservations (Cheyenne
River, Rosebud and Pine Ridge). The Beginning Farmer Rancher
Program encompasses training through SDSU Extension and
our partners. The program addresses food access issues, as well
as contributes towards self-sufficiency and food sovereignty of
our tribal nations. Participants in the program acquire skills that
increase their ability to become an effective and successful food
producer whether that’s commercially or for the social good.
There’s a cultural uncomfortableness amongst a large percentage
of Native people with selling food. So we work with them to
increase their skills and knowledge at growing food, even if it’s to
give it away. The home gardening program also provides nutritious
food utilization in the home. Participants acquire knowledge of
local and regional markets, awareness of funding and technical
assistance from federal and state agencies, skills in marketing
and presentation of their goods, as well as an understanding of
the regulations governing local food sales. They’re encouraged to
develop food safety, operational and business plans.
The Issue
Often at the top of the list of the poorest counties in the United
States, categorized as food deserts and with rates of obesity,
diabetes, heart disease and unemployment that dwarf national
averages, the need for more producers growing/raising food
locally is at the core of changing these statistics. The issue isn’t
a lack of interest, it’s that at this time, our reservations simply
don’t have enough producers who either grow or raise food locally
to meet the demand. So we need to empower and train more
food producers on our reservations and assist them in gaining the
farming and ranching knowledge and skill sets that they need to
be successful. Many of our tribal land owners own fractionated
allotments of land and so in addition they need to understand
how to sustainably utilize their small home acreages and how to
go about obtaining a lease. Gaining an understanding of how to
go about obtaining funding, from a lender or federal agency for
their operations is another aspect of the program. Many tribal
members who may be gardening want to learn how to scale up
their efforts to help feed their communities. The USDA and the
Oglala Sioux Tribe want to increase the momentum of the Pine
Ridge agricultural economy. There’s an interest in Farm to School
efforts, food sovereignty/security. All of these require more tribal
Impact
•
Participation increased from 16 participants in
2015, to 49 in 2016
•
BFR horticulture students learned both in the
classroom and hands-on in the field about:
drip-irrigation
oMulching
o raised beds
o hoop houses (pvc)
o high-tunnels, terracing
ofencing
o cool season crops
o season extension techniques.
•
Over half of our students reported using
mulch for the first time. 100% of our students
succeeded in planting a larger garden this year.
10% reported using drip or soaker irrigation.
10% incorporated some sort of raised bed
gardening. 25% amended their soil based off
soil test results.
•
Students learned that by combining dripirrigation with mulching they not only reduced
water usage and costs, increased plant growth
by putting the water at the roots where it’s
needed, but also reduced water loss due to
evaporation and reduced incidents of diseases
and labor inputs in weeding.
•
Season Extension techniques not only
increased the size of their harvest, but also
the variety of crops they could grow and also
provided some protection from heavy rain and
hail.
| healthy families
gardeners, farmers and ranchers. Our program is designed to meet this need and to create a whole new generation of food
producers while simultaneously assisting more experienced producers continue to improve or expand their operations.
The Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program requires that participants have less than ten years experience in
agriculture.
What We’ve Done
Since our program began we’ve 65 tribal members have participated in 31 educational workshops, hands-on skills building
field days, and tours of small scale agricultural operations. Some, but not all of the topics covered are:
Small Acreages and Horticulture:
• Soil Fertility (including a soil test for their site)
• Cultivation Techniques
• Crop Options for South Dakota
• Weeds and Pest Management
• Water Management/Drip Irrigation
• Season Extension Techniques and Strategies
• Local Market Options (roadside stand, farmers market cooperative, institutional sales, direct sales to wholesale markets
off reservation).
• Business planning /Budgeting / operational planning
Ranching / Livestock:
• Beef:
oNutrition:
oGenetics:
oReproduction:
oHealth
oManagement
o Natural Resources/Conservation
o Farm/Ranch Transitions
o Ranch/Financial & Business Planning
oMarketing
In 2017, we’re looking to work with partners to add some of the following:
• Bison
• Meat & Dairy Goats
• Orchards and Berry Operations
For more information contact:
Jason Schoch, SDSU Extension Beginning Farmer & Rancher Program Manager | [email protected]
South Dakota State University, South Dakota counties, and USDA cooperating. South Dakota State University adheres to AA/EEO guidelines in
offering educational programs and services.
Publication: 04-3020-2017