News Release
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
As many families prepared for a traditional season of giving thanks for the harvest, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina kicked off a new tribal department which will help farmers and producers. The new Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) department will address needs to strengthen farming communities in the Lumbee Tribe by advocating for Lumbee agricultural opportunities and promoting tribal food sovereignty. The (ANR) department was approved by the Lumbee Tribal Council in April, but since that time the Lumbee Tribe has raised one million dollars for department initiatives. The department will also look to address issues relating to food distribution, agricultural educational opportunities, financial training, resource networking, agri-tourism, forestry and natural resources and rural development which strengthens the agricultural economy within our tribal communities. The new (ANR) department manager is Millard Locklear. Locklear is a fifth-generation farmer, who continues to produce a small crops operation on his family farm.
Dr. Alex White, Virginia Tech Department of Dairy Science instructor, presented a workshop during the kick-off to assist farm families with transitioning farm properties, creating yearly farm operations charts and business tactics to ensure their farm families.
Funding support for the (ANR) department is provided by the Native American Agriculture Fund, the State of North Carolina, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
Lumbee Producers are asked to participate in an online survey, which will assist with identifying the needs of producers. The survey is available by scanning this QR Code.
Below is a video of the program kick-off.
