Colorado Tribes Meet with NRCS and FSA to Discuss USDA Program Opportunities for Tribal Entities and Native American Farmers and Ranchers

The USDA is committed to serving Indian Country. Through equitable policies and programs, USDA Agencies aims to improve Tribal economic self-sufficiency, nutrition, health, conservation, food security, rural and agricultural businesses, infrastructure, and sustainability on Tribal lands. Colorado hosts two federally recognized Tribes, the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes and in July 2023 Colorado's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), along with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) met with Tribal partners to discuss USDA programs and other opportunities available to Tribal entities and Native American farmers and ranchers.  

In two separate meetings, Colorado USDA staff meet with the Tribal Councils of both the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Clint Evans, NRCS State Conservationist, Kent Peppler, FSA State Director, and Armando Valdez, RD State Director, received insight into current Tribal priorities and concerns and discussed what programs and opportunities were available to address the meetings’ key discussion cornerstones. 

Joel Lee, NRCS Acting Tribal Liaison as well as Resource Team Lead for the Cortez, Dove Creek, and Towaoc field offices, facilitated the meeting with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has in the past, and currently does, work closely with the NRSC on several projects, particularly within its Farm and Ranch Enterprise. The Farm and Ranch Enterprise, which is owned and operated by the Tribe, consists of 7,700 acres of irrigated land and raises cattle, alfalfa, and corn.  

Between 1992 and 2002 the Farm and Ranch Enterprise installed 110 pivots for the operation – and after 20-30 years of use, irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation for these pivots is a large priority for the Tribe. To date, 17 pivots have been replaced through the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP, designed specifically for working agricultural lands, offers farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners financial cost share assistance to implement structural and management conservation practices that optimize environmental benefits on their operations.   

Additionally, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s ACRE3 Program and the NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the Ute Mountain Ute’s Farm and Ranch Enterprise has been at the forefront of using renewable energy in its operation through a Pressurized Irrigation Small Hydropower Project. The RCPP is a partner driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. In this project, the Farm and Ranch Enterprise installed hydroelectric turbines that harness the energy of water to provide clean energy for the Farm’s center pivot irrigation and milling operation. The expected electrical capacity is more than 36,000 kilowatts per year – allowing the Tribe annual savings while also limiting hundreds of tons of CO2 emissions – ultimately benefiting both the Tribe and the environment.  

Conservation improvements such as these are impactful, but in an arid environment such as the Colorado high desert, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is interested in doing more for its land and its people. From wanting to address fluctuating water supplies through irrigation infrastructure and holding reservoirs, to supporting community infrastructure and housing preservation, the partnership potential between the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the USDA continues to be great.  

Conversations with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe were just as fruitful for USDA representatives and the Southern Ute Tribal Council. Ed McCaw, NRCS Tribal Liaison out of the Ignacio field office, has worked with the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department to connect the Tribe’s farmers and ranchers with NRCS’s conservation programming. 

The Tribe’s Natural Resources Department, which consists of divisions ranging from agriculture and forestry to wildlife resource management and water resources, is charged with “promoting the beneficial use, protection, conservation, preservation, and developmental enhancement of the Tribe’s natural resources….for the betterment of present and future generations.” Discussions between the Southern Ute Tribal Council and USDA representatives included topics such as food sovereignty, agricultural labor challenges, opportunities for expanding markets, innovative ideas for food production, and more. Importantly, the above mission lay at the center of the conversations.  

Southern Ute Tribal Councilmember Marvin Pinnecoose, who has experience working with NRCS programming, challenged the gathered group to take the conversations had at these meetings and to push their cooperation further. He highlighted the Tribe’s heritage and cultural ties to the land – rooted in respect for the animals and land – and stressed the many opportunities available to the gathered group to work towards in the future.  

To find out more information about the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the programs offered in Colorado, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov. 

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