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Thank you for your interest in supporting the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative.

For information on how to donate, reach out to IFAI’s Budget Director, Brent Jones:

(479) 575-3227
baj005@uark.edu

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Suite 219
Fayetteville, AR 72701

ifai@uark.edu
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🦬 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🦬 🔸Do you know a 🦬 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🦬

🔸Do you know anyone aged 18-24 years old who is thinking about a possible career in Tribal food and agriculture? Applications for IFAI’s 2026 Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit are now open!

🔸The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published the 2025-2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

🔸IFAI’s policy team is tracking several Congressional hearings this week, including a U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. 
 
🔸The National Park Service (NPS) seeks nominations for individuals to represent subsistence users in several Subsistence Resource Commissions. 

🔸Federal Register notices this week include a final rule about the Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations. Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting applications for the Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee of its Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC), which advises the EPA administrator on environmental policy issues impacting local governments, including Tribal Nations.

🔸If you have not read it yet, please check out IFAI’s 2025 Annual Report.

Check out the full brief at indigenousfoodandag.com
#DietaryGuidelines #USDA #EPA #NPS #PolicyBrief
We are excited to announce that the Native Youth i We are excited to announce that the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit applications are now officially open!🦬🌻🐓 This is an incredible opportunity for any Native Youth between the ages of 18-24. The Summit will occur July 9-17 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All travel and lodging expenses will be covered for those accepted. Don't miss out! Make sure to turn in your application by the deadline on March 20, 2026. 

Applications are available on our website indigenousfoodandag.com under "Youth Programs"
https://indigenousfoodandag.com/youth-programs/#leadership-summit

#nativeyouth #agriculture #Summit
We are excited to announce that the Native Youth i We are excited to announce that the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit applications open next Monday, January 12! This is an incredible opportunity for any Native Youth between the ages of 18–24. The Summit will occur July 9–17 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All travel and lodging will be covered for those accepted.

 #summit #nativeyouth #agriculture
The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IF The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) entered 2025 in a moment of significant change across Indian Country. Our team worked closely with Tribes across all regions, providing one-on-one technical assistance and supporting a wide range of Tribally led food sovereignty efforts. We continued to serve as Indian Country’s trusted agricultural law and policy resources tracking, analyzing, and explaining an unprecedented volume of federal policy changes affecting Tribal food and agriculture operations. We delivered food safety training to Tribal producers and food businesses, offered legal and policy research tailored to community needs, and traveled across the country to meet with stakeholders and policymakers at the Tribal, federal, and state levels.

We encourage you to check out the full report showcasing all of the work we have done this year and the momentum pushing us into the new year. You can find our Annual Report on our website indigenousfoodandag.com (link in bio)
#annualreport #2025
🌲 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🌲 🔹Last week, US 🌲 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🌲

🔹Last week, USDA’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) held its final meeting of 2025 during the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s (IAC) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV. The various TAC subcommittees provided a recap of their activities and priorities. TAC members and those in attendance raised concerns and offered recommendations and comments to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) representatives. 
 
🔹The FDPIR Tribal Leaders Consultation Work Group also held its final government-to-government consultation of the year with USDA at IAC’s Annual Conference. Tribal leaders wanted to ensure the availability of food supplies in times of crisis going forward, particularly for smaller tribes and those located in remote areas. The public comment period for this consultation will remain open until January 9, 2026.
 
🔹The IFAI Policy Brief is taking a brief Holiday break. IFAI will be out celebrating the holidays from Wednesday, December 24 through Monday, January 5. Happy Holidays from IFAI!

To read the full brief visit our website indigenousfoodandag.com
#USDA #happyholidays #FDPIR #IAC #TAC
Listen to the latest episode of the 🎙Rooted Wisdom Listen to the latest episode of the 🎙Rooted Wisdom Podcast🎙 out today! You can find it available on spotify or on our website indigenousfoodandag.com

#rootedwisdom #podcast #agriculture #indigenous #UARK
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