Conservation, Development, and Use of Agricultural Resources for the Betterment of Native Farmers with Kelsey Scott and Kari Jo Lawrence of the Intertribal Agriculture Council
In this episode of the Direct Farm Podcast, we're thrilled to host Kelsey Scott and Kari Jo Lawrence of the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC). Listen as Kelsey and Kari Jo discuss the programs and resources IAC offers its members, along with their own journeys and roles within the IAC.
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Rory: 0:25
Welcome to the Direct Farm Podcast. We've got a great conversation for you today with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, or IAC, organization pursuing and promoting the conservation, development and use of agriculture resources for Native American and Alaskan tribes. I am delighted to welcome Kari Jo Lawrence, the Executive Director of IAC and Kelsey Scott, the Director of Programs at IAC a Barn2Door Farm Advisor. Welcome Kelsey and Kari. To start, could you both share a little bit about your individual backgrounds?
Kelsey Scott: 0:55
My name is Kelsey Scott. I am a beef cattle producer here in the North Central Great Plains on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. My husband and myself are very involved in both of our families operations. I'm also the owner of DX Beef, which is a direct to consumer grass fed beef marketing option for our businesses. And I get to fulfill the role of being the Director of Programs at the Intertribal Agriculture Council. I really feel that my professional job is where I get to really talk the talk promoting transition to regenerative practices or exploring ways to have a more sound business plan. And then my on the farm job is really where I get to actually walk that walk and make sure that I'm doing what the Farmers and Ranchers I'm providing technical guidance to are being advised they should do as well. And I really get to put myself in their shoes. Not only be the boots on the ground, but help other boots on the ground, so to speak.
Kari Jo Lawrence: 1:56
I'm Kari Jo Lawrence and I'm the Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council. I'm originally from North Dakota. I was born on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, and raised in the Hidatsa culture and my family are Ranchers, still are. We were cow calf producers and I'm lucky enough to still be living that life now with my husband and son. We are located now on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, where we reside by the Moreau River. I went to school in North Dakota at Dickinson State University, and I actually came through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. I was there for 20 years after I got out of college, and then before I came on with the Intertribal Ag Council. So I have a program's background and a farm ranch background, and I'm happy to be living this life connected to farming and ranching.
Rory: 2:43
Kari, could you start out by giving us a little bit of the history of IAC maybe when the organization was founded?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 2:49
Absolutely. The Intertribal AgCouncil is probably the oldest and definitely leading intertribal organizations devoted to providing education, advocacy and technical assistance to Native American Farmers and Ranchers throughout the United States. It was founded in 1987 and it was formed off the heels of the farm crisis that was happening at that time. And our mission is to promote the conservation, development and use of agricultural resources for the betterment of Native People.
Rory: 3:18
Could you maybe talk about that mission and the organization overall has evolved over the years and how you've accomplished that mission over your time?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 3:25
Absolutely. The IAC has worked tirelessly on behalf of individual Indian ag producers and tribal enterprises alike. IAC works with tribal governments and tribal members from all geographic regions of the country. And then our Board of Directors is made up from representatives from those tribal governments. So they have deep connections with the Indian Farmers and Ranchers in those respective regions. I feel that's what makes us very unique, and it really has helped us to raise our voices in that advocacy world, because we are so connected with our membership. And evolved through the years through our membership and with their leadership.
Rory: 4:03
How did you first find out about IAC and then what kind of led you to want to take that next step and join and be a contributing member?
Kelsey Scott: 4:10
One of my colleagues, Pier Johnson Reyes, who is the Director of the Technical Assistance Network that we have across the country, he recently pointed out to me that I'm technically third generation IAC. I don't really think there was much of a choice for me, it's genetic. No, my grandfather was actually on the committee that guided the establishment of the IAC. And then my father started working for the Intertribal Ag Council. He tells the story that it was the spring of '94 and he had a baby girl and she needed diapers and food and that's me. And he was looking for employment to supplement his on-farm income that was a on-farm investment and didn't have very much return at all. And he found in the Indian Ag Link, which was a national newsletter that the IAC used to send out to communicate with Farmers and Ranchers back before social media, a ad that said, " seeking Farm Bill advocates". And so he gave the Executive Director back then, Greg Smitman, a call and they were able to meet up face-to-face for an interview a week or two later. And he got hired to work 20 hours a week. Really helping producers that were being foreclosed on all the way up to getting started in agriculture. The whole gamut of things. Helping them get their goal and helping to provide the technical support through whatever was in front of them. And so the unique thing about this story is I did not realize until I was in high school, that my dad had and off-farm income and had been affiliated with the Intertribal Agriculture Council. So I guess that goes to show how good he is at being a present father. It never distracted from our ability to go out and ranch and now I know why he had late nights working on the computer. Right? But he ended up, taking me to the annual conference in 2009, and I remember being exposed to such a diverse, passionate, stubborn, strong-willed group of people. And it was like one of those watershed moments where I was like, I don't know what I want to do yet with my career, but I wanted to be with these people, this feels like home." And so I started taking the steps in my undergrad career to look into careers that might overlap with the IACs work. Back then there was really still only five or six employees hired by the organization. So that was fairly slim, but I knew that somehow, I could get involved, whether that'd be working with NRCS and overlap into the work of IAC or something like that. Eventually when I graduated, I convinced IAC to allow me the chance to serve as their Youth Programs Coordinator and I started with coordinating youth leadership development opportunities across the country. And that was really when I got to meet Kari Jo. We were planning for an in-person conference in Las Vegas, and we wanted to highlight what a career in natural resource look like, and so we drove up to the county office and we interviewed Kari Jo back when she was still at NRCS. That's how I got to where I am working full-time with the organization. I've been able to fulfill a variety of positions so far, and every one of them has taught me so much. I'm just so thankful for the chance to be able to work with the dynamite crew, representing the producers all across the country.
Rory: 7:28
Kari, how about you? What led you to get involved in IAC?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 7:31
1994, I was not in diapers. I was about to graduate from high school and trying to decide what I wanted to do for a living, so I wanted to remain in agriculture, but at the same time, seeing the struggles that were happening in agriculture, I figured I needed to get a job. I was looking into The NRCS. I was always interested in that because I was going to the office with my dad and, the people are always cool and it was fun. And at that same time, back in the nineties, my dad was receiving the IAC newsletter and I would read it. It was just talking about what was happening in the country with agriculture and related to what's going on in Indian country. So I was always reading that and I saw the opportunity to write an essay and apply for a scholarship. So that's why I got involved with IAC, I was one of the first scholarship recipients. So, I was lucky enough. I went through my career with NRCS but I was always attached to IAC I knew what they had to offer and, Producers go their way I would call in for assistance. They're always helping spread the word about what's going on at USDA. So they were just a helpful crew, and when the opportunity came about it feels like I just went home to do what I meant to do, work with IAC and to continue the work that's been going on since 1987.
Rory: 8:46
Kelsey, could you tell me a little bit about what your specific role at the Intertribal Ag Council is?
Kelsey Scott: 8:51
So now I get to fulfill the role of Director of Programs. And Kari Jo was actually our first formal Director of Programs at the IAC, so I feel like my responsibility is not messing up all the good that she started continuing to carry it forward. I like to practice what I preach in every capacity and I'm a really big believer in the importance of regenerative and resilient agricultural practices. And so really how I see my role within the organization is it's looking at our programs and how they work together and how the organization is functioning through that regenerative mindset and trying to deploy that philosophy of, creating the necessary disturbance of nature, but then following the disturbance for a more robust and more resilient production cycle and then preparing for the disturbance that's going to again happen. So for a lot of what it is that we see across our programs is it's the production cycle. And from one year to the next, we might have the wettest season on record to the driest season on record, and our goals as an organization, whether it be in our American Indian Foods Program or in our Technical Assistance Network, they all relate, in that we want to help our producers help the land in a way that will keep their family on it, and will help to feed their food system, their community, and hopefully rebuild a more localized food system and, you know, it would be great if they didn't have to do that on the evenings and weekends, and they could actually afford to be a full time food sovereignty advocate and producer feeding their community. So, we try to always figure out how to support our staff in a way that they can support those producers. But then, my role, I feel it goes both ways. I'm not only relaying resources to the staff to get out to the producers on the ground, but I'm listening to the staff of the programs. And I am hearing what they're saying, whether it's they need additional support or if there's an issue, in a particular USDA policy that's being administered out there on the ground. I take it upon myself to coordinate with our administrative team to try to address that and to ensure that communication goes both directions. said that there's not enough people making the decisions in DC that have bull crap on the outside of their boots too, right? So we're in the space of making sure there is a very active Ag voice over there in DC advocating for the necessary appreciation for what our producers their ancestors did for this landscape of ecosystem.
Rory: 11:21
Kari, could you touch on your current role at Intertribal Ag Council?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 11:25
My role is really around the strategic planning and, I feel like putting puzzle pieces together, so that we can have an impact nationwide. And of course that comes with making sure, our staff is on the same wavelength, because we are all remote throughout the whole entire country. So just keeping those puzzle pieces working towards the goals of our membership and it's challenging, but so amazing when we see things come together. It feels like we're all working towards the same goals. We want to produce good food for all people. And seeing those goals come together is super amazing. So yeah, playing a chess game and keeping the team rolling and supported definitely main parts of my job.
Rory: 12:04
Kelsey, could you maybe talk about some of the resources that IAC offers members, and a bit about how those programs have evolved over the years?
Kelsey Scott: 12:12
I think that one of the things that actually drew me to working with Barn2Door is how, they have what we have here at the IAC, in the form of direct, human to human technical assistance support. When I was able to get set up with an onboard manager, for my account at Barn2Door, and they worked with me weekly and held me accountable and pursuing my own goals, I was on the receiving end of the technical assistance support that our organization provides producers and tribal entities and tribal departments day in and day out, and I think that skilled level of expertise that is willing to be shared across the table or virtually something that you just truly can't quantify the real impact that that has, because it's so personalized and empowering to that individual producer. Here I am now as one of the biggest advocates for Barn2Door like, I'm always directing people to it, whether they have food to sell or not, and I just have to feel that that's what our producers do as well after a couple of technical assistance sessions with us here at the IAC is they feel empowered to go out there and to relay this information to, their neighbors or to their family, to make sure that they're accessing opportunities as well. So it really has an exponential impact. We provide technical assistance in a couple of different capacities though. One of them is, from like a business standpoint of getting a true assessment. Okay, "what does your balance sheet look like, what are your operations, ins and outs for cashflow, and is there a way to better restructure some of this debt in a way that better aligns with the production system that you actually have envisioned for yourself?" Too often in the agricultural industry, there's just this blanket copy and paste that gets practice when it comes to the financial structure that Farmers and Ranchers are hazed into. And so we get to really pull that apart and figure out, "okay, well, yeah, this termed out debt in this capacity might work for a producer that is in a corn, soybean, biodiverse cover crop rotational system, but it's not going to work for the cow calf producer and we need to help educate that producer as to why and then, most often, fold in their lender and help their lender to understand why they're sitting there or how they're setting their producer up for failure. We also offer assistance in conservation planning and regenerative ag transition plans for producers that feel financially secure enough to be able to really invest more rigorously into their conservation infrastructure. And then we have technical assistance that is provided through the marketing aspect of our programs in our American Indian Food Program, which helps producers that have a shelf stable product, understand what the export or domestic trade opportunities are for their product, what the consumer is looking for, how to structure your business in a way that is conducive to that level of large scale sales and how to identify the appropriate niche market price for your product, and then have that generate a even more regenerative impact within your local community. We also, across all of those mission areas, focus on the policy policies that are either uplifting our producers and reaching those goals, or sometimes hindering them those goals, well as making sure that there's a young, upcoming generation of young professionals are skilled. They talk about it in the ag industry as hybrid vigor, right? Like the next generation is all is better than the last, because of the way that we're infusing, whether it's better genetics or better feed or exposing them to a more robust soil health. That's what we want to do with our youth is figure out how to equip them with the skills that they need carry the Indian ag industry further ahead at a younger age, so that we can reach our ultimate goal of being food sovereign.
Rory: 16:00
A lot of times challenges that Farmers are facing are very specific and unique to them, so to hear that you guys have been able to provide programs and resources that can help them through those unique challenges. I think Farmers always appreciate the one-on-one help. something that we've found as well. Are there any new programs or resources that you've looked at adding in the last year, or it might be trying to add in the near future?
Kelsey Scott: 16:21
Yeah, there are a few. One that we've recently built out, is really the establishment of our Policy and Government Relations Department. so we now have an Associate Director of Policy and Government Relations, and she has been a phenomenal asset to the team. And, simply having her mind thinking in the direction of policy nonstop, it is a total different way of thinking than providing that one-on-one technical assistance support, so we really need and rely upon her to have her ear to the ground on what's happening over there in DC, and what's making its way through the channels and making sure that she's helping to inform how policy is interpreted and implemented so that it maintains the truest intent of actually reaching Indian country as well. So often between the passing of legislation all the way down to the administration of programs, the true intent of the program and the policy is lost before it reaches our producers and we want to just try to maintain the integrity of that throughout every step of the process. We also are continuing to build out our regenerative ag efforts and thinking about it more on like a community scale. So like a regenerative economy, a regenerative community programming. That's really young in the works, but would only formalize the work that we're already doing with our natural resources department, as well as, with our Technical Assistance network and all of the regenerating economy expertise we provide there, and we are able to focus specifically on more of our domestic marketing opportunities to share with our producers that had capitalized on the export. Opportunities for getting their product shipped worldwide, to capitalize on those niche market prices. When COVID happened and we weren't able to travel the world food shows anymore, and even worldwide trades started to slow down, had to think strategically about how to help those businesses pivot so that they still have the same generated demand for product on a domestic scale. And, what we're seeing is actually a lot of producers interested in diversifying where their product is going now. So that there isn't a reliance upon international trade in order to be able to make it happen. And to help, hopefully change some of the dialogue here in America about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, buying indigenous, buying local, as much as you can, and buying product that is being produced in a regenerative way.
Rory: 18:47
So Kelsey, IAC runs a diverse range of programs. You've already touched on a few of them, but, one of those programs focuses on market development. What is the primary focus of that program and what are some of major accomplishments or conclusions that you guys have resulted in out of that program?
Kelsey Scott: 19:03
Well, one of the accomplishments is that we have an established partnership between our American Indian Foods Program and Barn2Door, and that is helping us to amplify for our producers that are carrying the Made and Produced by American Indians trademark. Their online market space, its helping them to build out a more robust online purchasing option and the feedback that we're able to provide to Barn2Door and the responsiveness that Barn2Door offers us in accepting that feedback and building it into their online platform has been really tremendous to make sure that our producers that we're connecting with Barn2Door are able to actually best market their product. We have some very significant accomplishments. But for me, being the soil nerd that I am, one of the most significant accomplishments that I think we have made through our market development programming in 2021 is the establishment of our Region Nation Pledge. And our Region Nation Pledge is just that. It is a commitment by our Farmers and Ranchers, our food producers, to the consumer saying "I will, in every context possible, produce this product for you in a way that is regenerative of the nation that we exist within, through the economy and the people, but also the ecosystem and appreciating that we share this ecosystem with other species. That we need to work as harmoniously with the land as possible." And that is our producers pledge to their consumers. And I think that that's really empowering, rather than having a certification or a producer that's beholden to certain restrictions. Instead, they get to make the commitment. It empowers them to really change and lead that narrative. And I hope to see other market opportunities start to follow suit with what Latashia and Tommy over at our American Indian Foods Program did in the build-out and design of our Region Nation Pledge.
Rory: 20:59
On your guys' website, you have a complete brochure on some of the, success stories of IAC its members and some of the accomplishments that you guys have done over the years. Could you maybe share a particular success story that comes to mind or that you feel particularly exemplifies IACs mission in action?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 21:15
We had a particular case where we provided technical assistance for financial planning and for conservation planning. And this producer, we were able to connect him with one of the native CDFIs that we work with. And he was able to secure the patient capital, through our regenerative finance model. It provides them a chance to build their equity while being able to do other things in their business. So seeing that deployed and on fold, where he was able to afford to implement some of the regenerative grazing practices on his ranch, and the new system, it not only improved his grassland resource, but it really set him up for an improved bottom line due to the less inputs. So, you know, sometimes less is more in these situations, but people are afraid to try what maybe be construed as a new practice. But, once he was able to implement that, to me, that's truly the meaning of healthy food when it's produced in a healthy way, and it's giving back to the resource that is, to me, a true definition of healthy food.
Rory: 22:17
Kelsey do you have any success stories that come to mind that you think display the mission of IAC?
Kelsey Scott: 22:21
One that always stands out for me is I got to serve as a Technical Assistant, supporting a young lady by the name of Jessa in pursuing a Farm Service Agency Youth Loan. She got her loan. It was a less than typical loan. In fact that she didn't want to just buy cows that were going to have a calf, she wanted to buy five head of heifer calves, and she wanted to develop them. She wanted them to come from her dad's herd and that was going to require one year's time of growth before they would even be able to breed, so those five animals wouldn't generate an income. So, it took us a little while to get this application through the Farm Service Agency $5,000 youth loan application process, but we were able to get it done, and throughout that process, it just was really empowering to see her take ownership in her plan and to decide that no, this is what I want to do, and to not be persuaded by what was being offered to her instead. But, to stick to her guns and to remain confident and reflect back on her goals as to why she wants to do it this way. And after we got her loan approved, she was able to pick out her five heifer calves from her dad and, I think her dad really appreciated being able to utilize her help all winter feeding heifers, and that next spring, we were at a branding together. And one of the neighbors was her and poking fun at her, tickling her and they were going back and forth nonstop, and like she would be throwing an old petrified turd at hi m, and the next thing you know, he would throw one back. And anyway, at one point throughout the day, he told her, "why don't you go pick on her instead?" And pointed at me, and Jessa looked him square in the eye and she said, no, that's my FSA Youth Loan Advisor, and I'm not going to pick on her." And it made me feel so proud of the relationship I was able to build with her. And it made me happy to know that she was the youngest producer. She actually had a balance sheet at 13 years old and she was in amongst these 50 to 45 year old men and women that were ranching and she felt just as empowered to say, "no, I'm a producer too, and I can decide, I can think for myself." And so that's one story that always sticks out to me. It's a little abnormal and I hope that it was as meaningful for her. And I hope that she can reflect on it the road as well.
Rory: 24:42
A great story to hear. It's something I think Barn2Door definitely aligns itself with too is we just launched our student program for those young producers that are looking to get in to the farming game and start out young. Kelsey, so Barn2Door was delighted to sponsor the IAC Annual Conference last year. It was virtual. But, your next conference is coming up in December 7-9. What could attendees expect to learn at this conference, and if they want to sign up, how would they go about that?
Kelsey Scott: 25:07
We're really excited to be able to connect with our stakeholders again this year at our annual conference. We do anticipate a hybrid event. We will have some in person participation as well as a very robust virtual engagement with individuals that are interested in, participating that way. I would recommend that people visit our website, indianag.org, and they subscribe to our weekly Resiliency Through Agriculture Newsletter. It comes out every Friday, and that is where you will get updates around registration, when it's open, what the cost is going to be, who you can expect to hear from and learn alongside and we also share updates about all of our programs and some of those little success story nuggets that Kari and I talked about on a weekly basis. So I encourage you to visit indianag.org and register for our newsletter if you want a little Friday picked me up to help get you through the last day of the week.
Rory: 26:04
That conference is December 7th to the 9th if people are interested in signing up. Kari, what is an accomplishment or a new initiative from this last year that you're most proud of at IAC?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 26:14
Well, I have to say I'm very proud of the strides that we've made in connecting people to regionally available food. And I'm not just saying that because we're on a Barn2Door podcast, I am really serious about that. I don't like talking about the pandemic, but it really did force people into looking elsewhere for food. And I think it really opened a lot of eyes like, wow, this was so easy to find, to get. And it's so much better than the Superstore that they would normally go to. But, I'm very proud of that. And we're continuing our work into elevating our producers in, that realm where they haven't before and then absolutely connecting people to those hubs.
Rory: 26:52
You guys also recently launched your new Disaster Resource Initiative. Could you maybe talk about what goal of that resource is and how Farmers can utilize it?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 27:02
Uh, our goal is to try to get resources put together into one place that are usable, and people can find them. And then maybe if they need assistance in figuring out how further to participate, you know, that we could connect them with our regional representatives that are out in the field. Normally if there's a drought going on it's just in one little area or maybe some floods it's in one area, but there are things going on throughout the whole entire country. Our producers need to know where to look because there are a lot of resources, but what's applicable and how do I find what's feasible? So that's, the goal is to have it in one place and to provide assistance for those resources.
Rory: 27:37
Kari looking forward to what's next for IAC, are you guys hoping to tackle next? What's on the horizon?
Kari Jo Lawrence: 27:43
One of the big things that we're launching is the wrapping up our work with our Native Farm Bill Coalition, basically bringing all of Indian country together to work on our Farm Bill efforts. We need to hear the voices throughout the country to hear what's needed for changes so that we can all make better contributions to accessibility and to providing healthy food throughout the country. So that's one of the huge things on the horizon. So everybody, pay attention to the upcoming meetings that we're going to be holding. Cause our stakeholders are out there and we need to hear the voices. So that's, the big thing that's coming up.
Kelsey Scott: 28:18
Just to piggyback off of that, a little bit, to really talk about the possibility for impact in being involved with our Native Farm Bill Coalition. And the most recent Farm Bill authorization, there were 63 provisions that the IAC's Native Farm Bill Coalition advanced along with our partners and all 63 of them folded into the most recent Farm Bill. So there's so much power behind messages that carry the voice of such a diverse group of tribal leadership and allies. We do have an ally sign-on opportunity for partner organizations that are not tribal leaders and maybe not even be tribal. So I encourage anybody listening to look up what Kari said, what the Native Farm Bill Coalition is all about and what we stand for. I think you'll see that a lot of what we are pushing for will resonate directly with you as a producer, working to feed your community.
Rory: 29:11
That's great. Great to hear that you guys are having success in that. I'm excited to see how it continues over the course of the next year. I want to extend my thanks to both Kelsey and Kari and the entire membership at the Intertribal Ag Council. Barn2Door, we're delighted to serve Farmers in all 50 states, including the members at IAC. For more information on the Intertribal Ag Council, visit indianag.org. To learn more about Barn2Door, including access to numerous free resources and best practices for your farm, go to barn2door.com/resources. Thank you for tuning in. We'll see you next week.