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Cherokee Nation to hold first agricultural summit April 24; seed bank drew 13,033 applications
Summary
The Cherokee Nation announced an April 24 agricultural summit prioritized for Cherokee producers and reported the tribe's seed bank received 13,033 applications during its open period.
Christina Justice, a representative from Human Resources for the Cherokee Nation, told council members that the tribe will hold its first agricultural summit on April 24 and that interest from producers has been strong.
The summit application went live last week and "it is limited to the first hundred, Cherokee producers," Justice said. She also said the tribe surveyed its citizenry and identified about 300 agricultural producers within the reservation, information the office will use to plan outreach.
The announcement came as Justice also reported on the Cherokee Nation seed bank. "We've received 13,033 applications during the period of time when that was opened," she said, adding that a third party has begun selecting the first batch of recipients and that the program will continue draws until inventory is exhausted.
The summit is open to Native participants but will give priority to Cherokee producers, Justice said. Tarina Lowe was named in the meeting as the program administrator coordinating the summit grant, though Lowe did not speak during the report.
Justice framed both items as part of a broader push to support local producers: the survey results, the limited first-come registration for the summit, and the seeded draw procedure are intended to manage the high level of interest while distributing available resources.
No funding amounts, application deadlines beyond the first-come limit, or specific venue information for the April 24 summit were provided during the report.
