We have a very limited number of scholarships available for the Food Sovereignty Summit, April 14-17 in Green Bay at the Oneida’s Radisson Hotel and Convention Center. Scholarships are available to individuals from the Great Lakes Region and will cover lodging and registration.
Please fill out the following form if you are interested.
Another First Nations Development Institute grant opportunity is available with their Youth and Culture Fund for projects aimed at addressing a variety of social issues. Approximately 20 grants ranging between $5,000 and $20,000 will be awarded. The application deadline is March 20th, 2014.
First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) is currently accepting applications as part of the Native American Food System Initiative (NAFSI) for projects aimed at promoting elderly nutrition. Projects encouraging intergenerational learning will be given additional consideration.
FNDI expects to make between four and five awards at a maximum amount of $25,000. The application deadline is March 14th. More information and the online application are available at http://www.firstnations.org/grantmaking/2014nafsi.
Your sweetheart deserves authentic gifts. The Mobile Farmers Market has traveled far and wide to bring you the best hand made gifts through the Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Road Trip. Earrings are priced $20-$30 and come from freshly made maple candies from Minnesota’s north woods. Learn more by clicking on the image or following this link: https://squareup.com/market/mobile-farmers-market/valentines-special
The Mobile Farmers Market is making a special “Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip” this winter on an effort to bring more awareness to unique Native products and strengthen connections among the producers across the nation. Also check out the Mobile Farmers Market Facebook page for regular updates.
Making New Connections in the Southwest
The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the public comment period on the proposed regulations implementing the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that could have a major impact on Tribal food operations. The lack of Tribal consultation has been one of the MAJOR problems with these proposed regulations. Aside from the host of possible adverse implications, these regulations do not specify whether Tribes are included under a variance that allows foreign governments to implement their own regulations.
Here is more information from the University of Arkansas Law School’s
Bruce explains how to make delicious maple candy from finished syrup.
Thank you to everyone who came to the Maple Syrup Producers Workshop event last weekend. It was great to see so many people involved in discussions on syrup production and USDA programs. We hope all of your questions were answered, and if not, please contact us!
A special thanks to Danielle Diver, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, USDA agency representatives, and Red Lake Fisheries for your assistance putting the event on. We would like to recognize Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education for providing funding for the event.
A future event is tentatively planned for early April that will focus on syrup production in action including a tour of different evaporator systems. Stay tuned for more information!
The Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) through USDA’s Rural Development is currently accepting applications until February 24th for efforts aimed at assisting producers enter into value added production. Approximately $10 million is available on a competitive evaluation basis, so successful applications must receive as many points as possible.
Notable for the 2014 round of VAPG funding, the maximum levels have decreased to $75,000 for planning grants that fund feasibility studies and to $200,000 for working capital implementation grants.
The Intertribal Agriculture Council can provide assistance on these developing applications and we do have matching fund assistance through generous support from the Shakopee Mdewkanton Sioux Community for projects in the Great Lakes and Great Plains Regions. Contact dan at indianaglink.com for more information on assistance.
A series of business seminars will be held across Wisconsin in early December. Here is the full announcement from the event website where you can register for $15:
“Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons and Courtney Berner from the UW Center for Cooperatives will address the legal issues involved with starting and running your own food or farm business in an interactive setting. Through the duration of the workshop, you will learn basic legal principles of business entities and employment, recognize potential legal issues in forming a business and hiring employees, discuss insights and opinions on forming a business and hiring employees, and create draft legal provisions for an operating agreement agenda.”
Great Lakes Region IAC Website 