Summary:

• Register now to join IFAI’s Farm Bill Update webinar on Wednesday, Mar. 18 at 1 p.m. CT. As part of our discussion of recent Farm Bill news, we will also talk through some of the Congressional amendments offered on the House Agriculture Committee version of the 2026 Farm Bill (H.R.7567). 

• The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is holding a two-day public witness hearing for American Indian and Alaska Native witnesses on Mar.17 and 18, 2026 to offer testimony on the Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations process. The deadline for written testimony is April 24, 2026. 

• Two Federal Register notices to highlight this week include the Revised Application Deadline for the Native American CDFI Assistance Program and a Proposed Rule on Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves in Alaska. 

• Interested in having discussions about IFAI’s Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture? Contact us now to schedule a Governance Guide Roundtable for your Tribe. 

• Reminder: If you are interested in participating in IFAI’s 2026 Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit, the final deadline for all applications is next Friday, Mar. 20, 2026! 

• Interested in Indian Country agricultural law and policy? IFAI is looking for a Law and Policy Fellow! The program is for third-year law students or recent law grads.

Outreach Calendar

General Policy Update:

• Farmers and ranchers are expressing concern with rising diesel and fertilizer The increased cost of inputs puts additional financial pressure on already struggling producers. In an effort to lower fuel prices, the White House has released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and taken other steps to address the cost of fertilizers.

Governance Guide Roundtables

• In November 2025, IFAI released the Tribal Governance Guide to Food and Agriculture to help Tribal Nations navigate the complex frameworks and policy considerations towards food sovereignty. 

• IFAI is now offering Tribal Food Policy Roundtables in relation to the Governance Guide. Each roundtable will be tailored to the unique priorities and interests of the hosting Tribe/Tribal organization. Discussions will vary but may include (1) an overview of the Governance Guide; (2) in-depth discussions on tools and resources within the Guide; and (3) open dialogue with Tribal leadership, Tribal staff, and Tribal producers. 

• All roundtables are offered at no cost to the Tribe. 

Fiscal year 2027 funding process kicks off

• On Feb. 25, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) announced the beginning of the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2027, which runs Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027. The appropriations process provides discretionary funding to Federal departments and agencies through 12 appropriations bills. Indian agriculture stakeholders may be most interested in the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration bill and the Interior and the Environment bill, which funds the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

• House of Representatives offices welcome appropriations requests from stakeholders. Each House office has a different process and deadline for appropriation requests, so interested stakeholders should check their Representative’s official website for more information. Expect deadlines to be approaching fast, likely in the next 1-2 weeks. Most, but not all, Representatives accept three types of appropriations requests:

• Programmatic request: Requesting a specific funding level for a federal agency or program
• Language request: Requesting language to be included in the appropriations bill or accompanying report
• Community Project Funding: Requesting direct funds for a community project led by a State, Tribal, or local government or certain non-profits.

• The House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, which funds the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will host open Tribal Witness Days on March 17 and March 18. While the deadline to testify in person has passed, the Subcommittee will accept written testimony until April 24. Instructions for written testimony are available here, and examples are available on the Subcommittee website here.

Tribal Consultation/Listening Sessions/Advisory Committee Meetings: 

Title of Event: FDPIR Produce Safety Training

About: This is a 2-day in-person training designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities for FDPIR program operators and staff who are receiving, handling, and storing fresh produce. The training helps Tribes and State agencies properly assess and safely distribute fresh produce to program participants.

Date(s), Time, and Location:

• April 9 – 10, 2026 at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: REGISTER
• May 19 – 20, 2026 at Spirit Lake Tribe: REGISTER
• June 2026 (alongside the NAFDPIR Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, NY): REGISTER

Congressional Updates: 

Looking Back:

Hearing: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2026.

Topic: Increasing Domestic Consumption of U.S. Grown Agricultural Products.

Highlight: The Committee focused on how expanding domestic demand—especially through biofuels like year-round E15, Buy American policies, and nutrition programs—can stabilize farm incomes amid low prices, high input costs, and trade volatility. Witnesses across commodities agreed that strong domestic markets, not repeated emergency aid, are essential to sustaining U.S. farmers, rural communities, and long-term food and energy security. There was also strong support for reinstating Local Food Purchasing Assistance and Local Food for Schools programs.

Read IFAI’s analysis HERE.

Looking Ahead:

Hearing:  House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026, at 9 a.m. ET

Topic: American Indian and Alaska Native Public Hearing (Day 1, Morning Session) 

Hearing: House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Tuesday, Mar 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET

Topic: American Indian and Alaska Native Public Hearing (Day 1, Afternoon Session) 

Hearing: House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026, at 9 a.m. ET

Topic: American Indian and Alaska Native Public Hearing (Day 2, Morning Session) 

Hearing: House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET

Topic: American Indian and Alaska Native Public Hearing (Day 2, Afternoon Session)

Nominations:

USDA Tribal Advisory Committee; Notice of Solicitation for Nominations

Description: The USDA Tribal Advisory Committee is a Congress-mandated body that provides advice and guidance to the Secretary on matters relating to Tribal and Indian Affairs. The Department is reopening its call for nominations for three Secretarial appointments to serve a three-year term. Tribal Advisory Committee members are eligible to receive compensation for each day participating in full Committee meetings and related travel to in-person meetings.

Deadline: March 31, 2026

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee (NCC)

Description: This committee advises the Secretaries of Commerce and State on issues relevant to the work of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) convention. NAFO is an international fisheries management body focused on coordinating international scientific studies of key marine species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. NCC seeks nominations from committee members with fishing and/or seafood processing industry experience, marine/fisheries conservation and management experience, and more.

Deadline: Nominations for the committee will be accepted at any time.

Regulatory/Rule Making Actions:

Title: Amendment of Notice of Funds Availability for Native American CDFI Assistance Program; Revised Application Submission Deadline

• CDFI Fund is extending the deadline for a NOFA inviting Applications for Financial or Technical Assistance awards under the Native American CDFI Assistance Program Fiscal Year 2025 Funding Round due to lapses in government appropriations. 

• CDFI Fund is issuing this notice to revise the submission deadline from 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 27, 2025, to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 10, 2026.

Read More HERE 

Title: Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves

• The Department of Interior’s National Park Service is amending its regulations for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other natural resource harvests in national preserves in Alaska.
• Proposed changes would remove changes such as those that insulated managers from public involvement, removed required consultation with the State, and allowed for discretionary closures.
• The proposed changes would also rescind changes previously made to “frustrate effective management of fish and wildlife resources in Alaska park units, including for subsistence.”

Read More HERE 

Title: Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Requests to Begin Participation in the Tribal Self-Governance Program in Fiscal Year 2027 or Calendar Year 2027

• The BIA Office of Self-Governance (OSG) has issued the deadline for Tribal Nations/Tribal consortia requesting to participate in the 2027 Tribal Self-Governance Program.
• Participation requests must be received by April 4, 2026 (for fiscal year requests) or by July 5, 2026 (for calendar year requests).

Read More HERE 

Title: Mandatory Manufacturing Cost Survey Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

• USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to seek input from stakeholders about developing mandatory surveys on issues such as dairy production cost and product yield information.
• AMS also seeks public comments for issues that include: (1) whether current categories used in calculating manufacturing costs need to be adjusted; (2) the type of methodology to be used for product expense allocations; and (3) the type of data that the U.S. should consider when determining product yields.
• Comments must be received by Mar. 30, 2026

Read More HERE