Ranchers on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation say they are being mistreated by a loan officer with the Farm Service Agency, which is part of the Department of Agriculture.

The ranchers say officer Carol Nagel has treated Indians and non-Indians differently. They have complained about yelling, intimidation and other behaviors.

"If someone is improperly treated, that’s not the way we do businesses and I’ll deal with it,” Aaron Krauter, the North Dakota FSA director, told The Bismarck Tribune in response to the complaints.

The ranchers presented their issues to members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe council on Wednesday. Krauter previously met with tribal leaders about the issue and said he thought it had been resolved.

The complaints are similar to those made in the Keepseagle case. Indian farmers and ranchers say they were denied services and loans from the FSA.

Get the Story:
Sioux ranchers tire of interaction with Farm Service Agency (The Bismarck Tribune 4/21)
Corson, Sioux County Ranchers Voice Discrimination Concerns (KFYR-TV 4/20)
Settlement Talks Extended in Billion-Dollar Native American Suit Against USDA (The Blog of Legal Times 4/16)

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