Here's one small sign reconciliation isn't dead in Pierre: South Dakota Agriculture Secretary Lucas Lentsch and Tribal Relations Secretary J.R. LaPlante are working together to help Lakota farmers and ranchers get a leg up in the market:
Lentsch is excited about the possibilities for expanded tribal efforts in agriculture, whether it’s production or value-added efforts.
“There are all sorts of opportunities on the table,” he said. “We have a lot of great cattle country out there. There’s also the raising of row crops and the managing of grasslands. We’re looking at what might be opportunities for beef or pork development, and we’re starting to have those kinds of conversations” [Randy Dockendorf, "LaPlante, Lentsch Working Together To Expand Ag Opportunities For Native Americans," Yankton Press & Dakotan, 2013.06.19].
So what specific projects do Secretaries LaPlante and Lentsch see as models for Native agriculture? Popcorn and steak hit the radar:
Lakota Foods is the wholesale and retail outlet for the harvest of the Lower Brule Farm Corporation, according to the tribal website.
With an annual production of 10-12 million pounds of popcorn, the Lower Brule Farm is one of the largest single producers of popcorn in the United States.
From its cattle herds, the farm can produce 600,000 pounds of premium steaks and/or ground beef annually. The bison herds, managed by the Lower Brule Wildlife, Fish and Recreation Department, provide a ready supply of prepared buffalo meats for jerky and sticks.
The farm also produces 3-4 million pounds of edible beans (navy beans, dark and light red kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans) and 30,000-40,000 bushels of soybeans.
Elsewhere, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) has worked to build a tribally owned and operated buffalo operation, LaPlante said. The CRST has sought to create markets for its buffalo meat, he said [Dockendorf, 2013.06.19].
It makes more sense for the state to direct some of its market-intervening efforts to small beginning producers among our economically disadvantaged reservation neighbors than it does for the state to keep pouring resources into big corporate ag that already enjoys market advantages. But watch out, Lakota neighbors: don't let 'em sell you a mega-dairy funded by EB-5 visa investors! Those don't work out so well!