"Being a part of the White House “Champions of Change” is both an honor and humbling experience. It was an honor to be in the presence of the President and humbling as there are thousands out there who have accomplished more for their communities than me.

I began work for the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) 20 years ago as a Natural Resource Director which entailed the identification and solutions to regulatory barriers presented by both the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior. In 1998, I was promoted to Director of Programs and assigned the responsibility of the day to day supervision of the 11 employees. The individual who played the leadership role in bringing about the formation of the IAC had to resign for medical reasons in 2001 and the Board of Directors selected me to fulfill the role of Executive Director.

IAC has endeavored to remove barriers to successful Indian agriculture and to open doors in both the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior. The removal of barriers began with the 1990 Farm Bill in which USDA agencies were authorized to offer programs and services to individual Indians and their respective Tribal governments. In 1993, the IAC was successful in getting the Indian Agriculture Management Act passed which recognized the authority of Tribal Governments to set policy and procedures in the leasing of Indian agriculture lands and aligned those lease terms with programs of USDA. IAC has worked on every Farm Bill since 1990 in the effort to improve Indian access to programs and ensure Indian agriculture is recognized in the agriculture census processes."

Get the Story:
Ross Racine: Removing Barriers to Successful Agriculture in Indian Country (White House Blog 7/21)

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