Fort Peck Community College Extension Program

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/> Non-Technical Summary The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes combined government is home to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the second largest reservation in the state. Land is one of the greatest assets to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes: the exterior boundary of the reservation encompasses 2,093,318 acres (approximately 3,200 square miles). There are approximately 12,000 Assiniboine and Sioux enrolled tribal members (BIA, 2011), 6,000 of whom reside on the Fort Peck Reservation (Fort Peck Tribes, 2011). Agriculture is a major form of economic activity on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Thus, attention to agriculture and agricultural producers on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation is a vital function for Tribal Extension, with benefits that go beyond individual land owners to the entire tribal community. Agriculture Census data
for American Indian reservations show that in 2007, of 687 farms and/or ranches on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, 190 were operated by American Indian producers. Because of the number of American Indian producers on the Fort Peck Reservation, this project will work to improve the NIFA program area description of "Agriculture and Natural Resources" and address the critical need area of "adaptation of agriculture, and improved food safety."
APPROACH: Fort Peck Community College implements Appreciative Inquiry by bringing a large diverse group of people together to examine and build upon what is working for the community. For this project, FPCC Agriculture/Extension Department will be working with the Fort Peck Tribes, area health care facilities, students, farmers, ranchers, and Fort Peck Community College Administration and other existing organizations that are successfully bringing services to the community, to envision, design and deliver a program that will build upon existing strategies. To accomplish Objective one, inform 75 agricultural producers (annually) on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with tools to improve their ability to implement sustainable farming and ranching practices to increase their profitability, project director, Chris Martinez will use existing collaborative arrangements
with Montana State University to offer educational outreach such as Quickbooks and/or quicken, crop rotation, pesticide application, variable rate, animal nutrition, grazing management, rangeland management, conservation and soil management, Federal Farm programs and business planning for new farmers and ranchers. To accomplish objective two, provide 150 landowners (annually) on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with land use planning tools to improve the overall welfare of the reservation's largest asset, Fort Peck Community College will offer educational outreach for allottees on implications associated with land fractionalization and the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes Agricultural Resource Management plan. Fort Peck Community College will also offer educational outreach for basic gardening, tree planning, soil conservation, and royalties. FPCC will follow the traditional
extension model for offering workshops, seminars, and presentations, and tours. The workshops, seminars, tours and presentations will be general and short-term, ranging from 4 to 30 hours in class time. The project director will schedule and organize each session, as well as lead, teach, or collaborate with existing agencies, institutions or organizations for the delivery of programs to ensure project success. The educational programs will be developed by Fort Peck Community College staff and industry experts. Participants will be required to evaluate each program and project staff will use evaluation to determine success. Success will be documented in the monthly report format. Existing resources will serve as the support base and it has been determined that the best avenue to project success involves the development of an educational program that includes education, motivation,
support, and facilitation designed to encourage individuals with opportunities to provide the people of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with education, key concepts, and tools to improve their wellbeing, through agriculture education and community education.
<p>PROGRESS:<br/> 2011/09 TO 2012/08OUTPUTS: Agriculture is a major form of economic activity on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Thus, attention to agriculture and agricultural producers on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation is a vital function for Tribal Extension, with benefits that go beyond individual land owners to the entire tribal community. FPCC will follow the traditional extension model for offering workshops, seminars, and presentations, and tours. Through a series of workshops, the department has reached 183 individuals who have obtained information to improve their farming and ranching practices. In addition, the department has identified areas for reforestation along the Missouri River banks, which improves the land base of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and reduces erosion along the Missouri River. In addition, the department has identified 59
individuals who will improve their area of land base, by promoting tree growth development. The workshops, seminars, tours and presentations will be general and short-term, ranging from 4 to 30 hours in class time. Existing resources will serve as the support base and it has been determined that the best avenue to project success involves the development of an educational program that includes education, motivation, support, and facilitation designed to encourage individuals with opportunities to provide the people of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with education, key concepts, and tools to improve their wellbeing, through nutrition education, agriculture education and community education. Upon activity completion, Fort Peck Community College staff will work with the Assistant Community Services Director and Vice President of Academics at Fort Peck Community College to ensure the
program meets the needs and educational requirements required for Continuing Education Units at Fort Peck Community College. PARTICIPANTS: Utilizing existing collaborative arrangements with Montana State University and the Fort Peck Tribes to offer educational outreach such as Quickbooks and/or quicken, crop rotation, pesticide application, variable rate, animal nutrition, grazing management, rangeland management, conservation and soil management, Federal Farm programs and business planning for new farmers and ranchers is critial to the success of these activities TARGET AUDIENCES: The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes combined government is home to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, and home of Fort Peck Community College, The reservation is the second largest reservation in the state. Land is one of the greatest assets to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes: the exterior
boundary of the reservation encompasses 2,093,318 acres (approximately 3,200 square miles). There are approximately 167 American Indian producers on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, accompanying 653,115 acres of land used for farming and ranching operations. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.