Putting Tribal Sovereignty in Food Sovereignty
On September 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would hold two Tribal consultations to allow input and comment on the proposed departmental reorganization. The outline of the proposed reorganization was laid out in the July 2025 Secretarial Memorandum (SM) 1078-015.
The consultations will take place in-person and online over the course of two days in mid-October, the first on Oct. 14, 2025 in Washington D.C. (1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C., 20250) and the second in Denver, Colorado (7001 Yampa Street, Denver, Colorado, 80249) on Oct. 16, 2025. Registration information is below. Those planning in-person attendance should prepare to present a valid form of identification to enter any federal building, should the physical meeting take place there. USDA noted that priority for comments at both consultations is given to elected Tribal leaders and their proxies.
The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative will hold a closed Tribal briefing on October 9, 2025, for elected Tribal leaders and staff ahead of the consultation. Register here.
Read the Dear Tribal Leader Invitation Letter here.
Date: October 14, 2025
Time: 2-5 p.m. EST
Location: Washington, D.C. (1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C., 20250)
Virtual Attendee Registration Link
Date: October 16, 2025
Time: 12-3 p.m. MTN
Location: Denver, CO (7001 Yampa Street, Denver, Colorado, 80249)
Virtual Attendee Registration Link
What is a Tribal Consultation? A consultation is an official meeting between sovereigns – the federal government and Tribal nations. Consultations are required by federal law and those speaking must either be an elected official from a federally recognized Tribe or an elected Tribal leader’s designated proxy. Proxies must provide federal staff with a signed proxy letter from their Tribal government in order to speak on behalf of that Tribe.
Tribal consultations are key for federal and Tribal communication and engagement. When done correctly, they are a tool for resolving issues that Tribal citizens experience in accessing federal programs and services. However, understanding and upholding the rules and regulations around official Tribal consultation is not always common knowledge for all employees within federal agencies. IFAI’s Tribal Consultation Guide aims to give that kind of practical advice, focused entirely on the USDA. Read it here.
In August 2025, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative previously published an analysis on possible impacts of the proposed reorganization on Indian Country food and agriculture based off information provided in the USDA Reorganization proposal. USDA’s Reorganization proposal represents a broad overview of the Department’s plans. However, many questions remain about the proposed reorganization and its impact on both producers and Tribes investing in agriculture. IFAI’s analysis discusses some of these questions.
The upcoming consultations will offer Tribal leaders an opportunity to engage in government-to-government dialogue with USDA officials on this critical matter. Currently, only two consultations have been scheduled, but USDA’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) voted during their public meeting on Thursday, September 18, 2025 to request that the Secretary extend the comment period for reorganization and hold an additional consultation alongside the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Annual Meeting this coming November. IFAI will update this document with any response from USDA regarding this additional consultation request.