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The 2018 Farm Bill authorized USDA to establish a demonstration project for one or more tribal organizations administering the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) to enter into self-determination contracts as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, to purchase USDA Foods for the FDPIR food package for their tribe.

Under normal program operations, all USDA Foods provided in the FDPIR food package are purchased and provided by USDA. Through this demonstration project, participating tribes are able to:

  • select one or more foods that they would like to procure for inclusion in the food package,
  • identify the food(s) in the food package that they would like to supplant with the tribally procured food(s),
  • establish contract(s) with a vendor(s) to procure the selected food(s), and
  • distribute the tribally procured food(s) alongside other USDA-provided foods in the FDPIR food packages distributed to their tribal members.

There are a few requirements associated with the tribally procured foods, including that they are domestically sourced and that they are of similar or higher nutritional value as the food(s) being replaced.

The demonstration project:

  • supports tribal self-governance by allowing participating tribes to purchase similar foods of their choosing, supporting tribal dietary preferences;
  • allows tribes to purchase foods through commercial vendors of their choice;
  • supports tribal economies as tribes may choose to contract with local, regional, and/or tribal vendors; and
  • provides FNS with an opportunity to see how tribal procurement may work under a food distribution program model across region, program size, and food selection.

The map below highlights tribes currently participating in the demonstration project:

map showing the location of each tribe participating in an FDPIR self-determination demonstration project

Round 2 Projects

USDA awarded $4.4 million dollars to tribal nations participating in round 2 of the demonstration project. Project implementation began in August 2023 with some contracts expected to last up to three years, through 2026. More information on each tribe's project is outlined below.

Cherokee Nation
Tribally Procured Foodsbeef chuck roast, ground beef chubs
USDA Supplanted Foodsbeef chuck roast, ground beef chubs
Vendors1839 Cherokee Meat Company (Native vendor)
Distribution Months36 months
image of frozen beef roast from Cherokee Nation
young man giving two thumbs up over a packed box of ground beef
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Tribally Procured Foodsground beef, beef chuck roast, celery, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, squash, cucumber, honey dew melon, peaches, oranges, apples, cherries, apricots, eggs
USDA Supplanted Foodsground beef, beef chuck roast, celery, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, squash, cucumber, cantaloupe, peaches, Crenshaw melon, apples, cherries, apricots, eggs
VendorsHines Meat Company, Yakama Nation Farms (Native vendor), Rez Chicks Fresh Eggs Cooperative (Native vendor)
Distribution Months36 months
Gila River Indian Community
Tribally Procured Foodstepary beans
USDA Supplanted Foodsdry beans
VendorsRamona Farms (Native vendor)
Distribution Months14 months
Quinault Indian Nation
Tribally Procured Foodscanned albacore tuna, canned Coho salmon, canned King salmon, King salmon fillet, razor clams, ling cod, rock fish
USDA Supplanted Foodschunk light tuna, canned chicken, canned beef, frozen salmon, bison, walleye, whole frozen chicken, catfish
VendorsQuinault Pride Seafood (Native vendor)
Distribution Months36 months
Sokaogon Chippewa Community
Tribally Procured Foodswild rice, carrots, cauliflower, pickling and slicing cucumbers, sweet corn, roma and slicing tomatoes, zucchini, bison burger, ground beef, pork chops, chicken breast
USDA Supplanted Foodswild rice, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, bison burger, ground beef, pork chops, chicken breast
VendorsForest County Potawatomi's Bodewewadmi Ktegan Farm (Native vendor), Carson Ackley, Wild Rice Harvester (Native vendor), James Polar, Sr., Wild Rice Harvester (Native vendor)
Distribution Months36 months
Spirit Lake Tribe
Tribally Procured Foodsbison
USDA Supplanted Foodsbison
VendorsNorth American Bison, LLC
Distribution Months36 months

Beginning Oct. 2023, Spirit Lake Tribe will be offering a variety of tribally procured bison products to their participants as part of their FDPIR Self-Determination Demonstration Project. The products include: bison dogs, bison ribeye, bison sirloin steak tips, and bison burgers.

photo of bison products from Spirit Lake Tribe
Photo credit: Spirit Lake Tribe
Tohono O'odham Nation
Tribally Procured Foodssoft wheat berries (various), hard wheat berries, wheat flour (various), white tepary beans, brown tepary beans, garbanzo beans
USDA Supplanted Foodsdehydrated potatoes, cherry apple juice, corn flakes cereal, all-purpose flour, egg noodles, canned pinto beans, dry pinto beans, cream of chicken soup
VendorsRamona Farms (Native vendor), San Xavier Cooperative Farm (Native vendor)
Distribution Months36 months
White Mountain Apache Tribe
Tribally Procured Foodsbarbecue corn, corn, summer squash, patty pan squash, green chilies, blue corn meal, ground beef, tongue, intestines, steak, liver, sweet bread, walnuts, acorns, pine nuts
USDA Supplanted Foodscanned corn, fresh corn, squash, canned carrots, jalapenos, yellow corn meal, ground beef, bison, chicken, roast beef, canned chicken, canned beef, peanuts, peanut butter, and fruit and nut mix
VendorsNdee Bikiyaa Farm (Native vendor), SPO Land and Cattle Co.
Distribution Months36 months

Round 1 Projects

USDA has awarded $5.7 million dollars to tribal nations participating in round 1 of the demonstration project. Project implementation began in October 2021 with some contracts expected to last up to three years, through 2024. More information on each tribe's project is outlined below.

Oneida Nation and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (joint project)
Tribally Procured Foodsground beef, bison, beef roast, apples, white fish/lake trout, wild rice, walleye
USDA Supplanted Foodsground beef, bison, beef roast, apples, catfish/salmon, wild rice, walleye
VendorsOneida Nation Farm, Oneida Nation Apple Orchard, Red Cliff Fish Company, and Spirit Lake Native Farms
Distribution Months6 - 24 months

A video showcasing the Oneida Nation - Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, self-determination demonstration project, and the many benefits the project is bringing to tribal members. Video production credit: The Self-Governance Communication & Education Tribal Consortium (SGCETC).

video thumbnail

Wild rice from Spirit Lake Native Farms. The Oneida Nation and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin are partnering on a joint self-determination demonstration project that will provide tribally procured ground beef, bison, beef roast, white fish, lake trout, apples, and wild rice to their FDPIR participants.

image of packaged wild rice on a store shelf
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB)
Tribally Procured Foodsall fresh produce, walleye
USDA Supplanted Foodsall fresh produce, walleye
VendorsRed Lake Nation Fishery
Distribution Months24 months

Jake Robinson (right), General Manager of Red Lake Nation Fishery, delivers walleye fillets to Joe Van Alstine (left), FDPIR Program Director for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Red Lake Nation Fishery is located in Redby, Minnesota, and is owned and operated by Red Lake Nation.

photo of two men holding packaged frozen fish in front of FDPIR store freezer
Photo credit: Jo Van Alstine.
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Tribally Procured Foodsfrozen white fish, carrots, potatoes of various colors, cucumbers, romaine/butterhead/green leaf lettuce, frozen squash, apples, fresh and frozen blueberries, wild rice, tomatoes, onions, summer squash, radishes, cherry tomatoes, winter squash, salad mix, smoked fish
USDA Supplanted Foodssalmon, carrots, red potatoes, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, canned vegetables, apples, frozen blueberries, wild rice, tomatoes, onions, summer squash, radishes, cherry tomatoes, winter squash, canned fish
VendorsDynamite Hill Farms, Highland Hill Farms, Red Cliff Fish Company, and Mino Bimaadiziiwin Tribal Farm
Distribution Months31 months
Program ContactVincent "Butch" Bresette
Butch.bresette@redcliff-nsn.gov
(715) 779-3740

The Mino Bimaadiziiwin Farm, which is owned and operated by The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, provides fresh produce to FDPIR participants through the demonstration project. Produce items provided by the farm for the project include everything from carrots and squash to lettuce and salad mix.

photo of the Mino Bimaadiziiwin Farm
Photo credit: Mino Bimaadiziiwin Tribal Farm.

The Red Cliff Fish Company is located within the Red Cliff Reservation, which spans 22 miles of Lake Superior shoreline in northern Wisconsin. Through the FDPIR self-determination demonstration project, Red Cliff Fish Company will provide fish products to FDPIR participants in The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Oneida Nation, and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

box of packaged whitefish filets from Red Cliff
Photo credit: Daniel Cornelius.

Check out the project photo gallery

Chickasaw Nation
Tribally Procured Foodsground beef, roast beef, dry hominy, stew meat, pecans
USDA Supplanted Foodsground beef, roast beef, wild rice, canned beef, peanuts
VendorsRolland Ranch Beef, Guderian Foods, and Bryant Pecan Company
Distribution Months24 - 33 months

Ground beef from Rolland Ranch Beef, LLC. The Chickasaw Nation is utilizing FDPIR self-determination contract funding to purchase both ground beef and roast beef from Rolland Ranch Beef, LLC., a tribally-owned and family-operated ranch in Checotah, Oklahoma.

packaged beef from Chickasaw Nation
Photo credit: Chickasaw Nation.

Beef products from a local tribal producer at a Chickasaw Nation food distribution warehouse. Through the demonstration project, Chickasaw Nation is purchasing a variety of tribally-produced foods for the FDPIR food packages distributed to their tribal members. These products include ground beef, roast beef, dry hominy, stew meat, and pecans.

photo of tribal beef products in a store cooler
Photo credit: Chickasaw Nation.
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)
Tribally Procured FoodsAlaskan halibut, cod, Alaska grown potato
USDA Supplanted Foodscatfish, walleye, russet potato
VendorsKodiak Island WildSource and Knik Tribe
Distribution Months14 - 28 months
Project ContactDana Diehl
ANTHC Director, Wellness and Prevention
info.fdpir@anthc.org
(907) 729-2440

The Alaska Native Health Consortium, known as ANTHC, operates a FDPIR self-determination demonstration project that provides foods to 18 tribes across Alaska. Learn more about the ANTHC project in this video.

Healthy potato plants growing at the Knik Tribe farm near Palmer, Alaska. Beginning in fall/winter 2022, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium will purchase potatoes from the farm with FDPIR self-determination contract funds.

photo of the Knik Tribe farm potato plants

Gregory Nothstine (center), FDPIR Program Director for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), and Mike Reusser (left) and Jim Baldwin (right) of the Food Bank of Alaska (FBA), receive a first shipment of Alaskan halibut at the FBA warehouse in Anchorage, Alaska. ANTHC purchases the fish with self-determination contract funds and then works with FBA to ship the product (along with other FDPIR foods) to 21 tribal villages throughout the state.

three men standing by a pallet with boxes on it
Photo credit: Food Bank of Alaska.

Barbara Lopez (FNS Senior Technical Advisor for Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs), Gregory Nothstine (FDPIR Program Director for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)), and Dana Diehl (Director of the Wellness and Prevention Department at ANTHC), in front of the Kodiak Harbor in Kodiak, Alaska. Fresh Alaskan cod and halibut for the demonstration project are fished out of the harbor and processed by Kodiak Island Wildsource, a business owned and operated by the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak, before being shipped to FDPIR participants across Alaska.

three people standing in front of a marina full of boats
Lummi Nation
Tribally Procured Foodssalmon, halibut, prawns/shrimp, crab
USDA Supplanted Foodscatfish, walleye
VendorsNexwelhqeyem Seafood, LLC and Finkbonner Shellfish
Distribution Monthssix months or more

Lummi Nation Commodity Foods staff proudly display frozen sockeye salmon fillets purchased with FDPIR self-determination contract funds. Lummi Nation manages several treaty-reserved fisheries off the Washington coast and will be providing a variety of local seafood items to FDPIR participants through the demonstration project.

3 staff holding frozen fish in an FDPIR store
Photo credit: Lummi Nation Commodity Foods.

Check out the project photo gallery!

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI)
Tribally Procured Foodsturnip greens, collard greens, yellow squash, red/green tomatoes, tomato berries, bell peppers, hot/sweet peppers, cucumbers
USDA Supplanted Foodsromaine lettuce, summer squash, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, cucumbers
VendorsChoctaw Fresh Produce
Distribution Months36 months

An employee of Choctaw Fresh shows off some fresh collard greens that will be put into FDPIR food packages for eligible tribal members. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is purchasing a variety of fresh vegetables from the Choctaw Fresh Farm, an organic produce farm located on the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Reservation.

employee holding large bunch of collard greens
Photo Credit: Choctaw Fresh Farm.

Collard green seedlings waiting to be planted in a high tunnel. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is purchasing turnip greens, collard greens, yellow squash, tomatoes, tomato berries, bell peppers, cucumbers, and a variety of hot and sweet peppers, for FDPIR participants through the FDPIR self-determination demonstration project.

flat of collard green seedlings
Photo credit: Choctaw Fresh Farm.

Demonstration Project Resources

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Page updated: March 27, 2024