USDA sets 2024 tribal consultations to boost services

Apr 16, 2024

By Farms.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is preparing for its Annual Consultation and Listening Session on Tribal Barriers from April 22 to April 26, 2024. These sessions are vital for reinforcing the USDA's relationships with Tribal Nations and understanding their unique needs.

The schedule for the 2024 sessions is as follows:

Education and Research (Monday, April 22): Begins with a Tribal Caucus from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, followed by the main session until 5:30 p.m. ET. Click Here to Register
Forests and Public Lands Management (Tuesday, April 23): Focuses on managing shared lands and forest resources. Click Here to Register
Farming, Ranching, and Conservation (Wednesday, April 24): Discusses the latest in sustainable practices and conservation in agriculture. Click Here to Register
Economic Development (Thursday, April 25): Concentrates on economic initiatives and support for Tribal businesses. Click Here to Register
Food, Food Safety, and Trade (Friday, April 26): Explores issues around food production, safety standards, and trade relationships. Click Here to Register

These meetings are part of the USDA's broader effort to improve its service offerings and interactions with the 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations. Over the past three years, significant strides have been made in enhancing support for Native producers, including more integration of Native foods into nutrition assistance programs and increased marketing support.

Each session provides an opportunity for Tribal leaders to engage directly with USDA officials, ensuring that the department's policies and programs are aligned with Tribal priorities and needs. This ongoing dialogue is crucial for maintaining the Nation-to-Nation trust relationship and for the USDA to continue adapting its programs to support the self-determination and growth of Tribal Nations.

Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.