Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, northern California) FAQS – Farm Bill Roundtables 2021-2022

This region largely encapsulates Tribes and intertribal organizations from the Pacific Northwest, including attendees from northern California Tribal communities. Many parties interested in producing were in the aquaculture and gathering sectors in the region’s waterways, rivers and inlets.  

FAQs:  

Question:

• Are there resources or information for Tribes or individual producers for fishing, fisheries or seafood processing programs they can access or learn more about?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a number of funding opportunities that are currently open.

Question:

Does the Farm Bill provide indemnity payments and crop/livestock insurance to support fisheries/shellfish and aquaculture losses similar to other commodities like livestock and grains? 

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) program provides loss coverage for fisheries, including reimbursement of 90 percent of the cost of losses for socially disadvantaged, limited resource, or beginning or veteran farmers or ranchers. 
• The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program is available for commodities not covered by crop insurance including aquaculture.  In addition, beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and qualifying veterans farmers or ranchers are eligible for a waiver of the service fee and a 50 percent premium reduction. 

Question:

Does the Farm Bill include insurance coverage for owners of hydroelectric dams or for Tribal producers who rely on rivers that fall below adequate levels due to persistent drought?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• While there are no USDA funds that would meet the need for low-water levels and their impact on hydroelectric dams, the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program allows for commercially harvested aquaculture product losses to be covered. 

Question:

Is there a USDA program or statutory language promoting the harvesting/production of traditional Indigenous foods specifically for urban Indian communities?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• While not specifically designated for traditional Indigenous foods, the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Program through USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) offer grants that can be used in the planning stages of establishing or expanding local food business enterprises in urban areas. Activities eligible under these programs can include to market research, feasibility studies, and business planning. Non-profits and Tribal governments are eligible applicants. 

Question:

Is oyster farming considered a conservation practice for USDA purposes and receive funding?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• Currently, no. However, the NFBC has called for the expansion of the Conservation Title to explicitly allow Tribes within a state or region to develop traditional, ecological knowledge-based (TEK) technical standards for all conservation projects allowed under the Farm Bill. This new section would codify current NRCS practices that encourage TEK-based conservation and would further recognize the fact that Tribal jurisdiction and use of traditional practices to improve conservation project implementation are decisions best left to Tribal governments and individual Indian producers who live on those lands and are engaged in ongoing activities that are designed to improve environmental conditions, habitats, and their lands for agricultural purposes. 
• The Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma’s Aquatic Facility is housed under the Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources and is committed to the task of producing fish and mussel species for Superfund Site Reintroduction purposes, Tribal cultural benefits, and potential market demand for their environmental restoration needs. 

Click the button below to see an infographic snapshot of issues raised and marker bills introduced in anticipation for the next Farm Bill.