In a stroke of good fortune and opportune timing, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s Farm and Ranch Enterprise received word that they had been selected for a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) the day prior to the round table event. The Tribe’s chairman, the Tribe’s executive director and two Farm and Ranch Enterprise managers were on hand at the event and graciously shared a few words about the Tribe and what they plan to do with the grant funds. We all look forward to seeing the Tribe’s cornmeal product in increased markets!

Two other Tribes received VAPG awards through the same announcement, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in central South Dakota. The three Tribal awards were a marked increase for awards to Tribes in this program, and the awards this year were directly related to Tribal Consultation efforts facilitated by USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations a few years ago, which led to an internal education process that illustrated how Tribes and Tribal entities may be considered producers for the purposes of eligibility in the Value Added Producer Grant program.