Land Management Development
Apple Orchard
The Land Management Department currently is responsible for maintaining 27175.34 acres within the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation borders. Individually this comes out to 173 different Tribal and Tribal Trust Tracts. With 85% of this land being leased out to other farmers and ranchers throughout the area. The mission of the Land Management Department is to protect and regain the tribal lands. To accomplish this mission the LMD shall invoke the Prairie Band Potawatomi’s sovereignty and its inherent right to the Nations treaty lands. We will assert the Nations paramount and superior claim to any grant or sale of tribal property to other entities-government or otherwise-and will regain the Nations tribal properties through land acquisition.
The Department currently has five employees, with one main goal of protecting and preserving the Nation’s land. There are several different individual programs within the Land Management Department. Of those programs they are Buffalo Program, Farming Program, Haying Program, Fencing Program, and USDA Compliance Programs.
Farming Program: This is the Row Crop portion of the Land Management Division. There are approximately 1200 acres in this branch of the LMD. The department is involved in a three crop rotation of that being corn, beans, and wheat. With the constant care and help from correct weather conditions all harvested crops are hauled to the local distribution centers and sold at the highest market values available.
Haying Program: Historically the LMD on an average puts up approximately 3500 bales per year during the haying season. Of these bales approximately 400 bales are used to help the Buffalo Program in supplementing the herd during the winter months. The rest of the inventory is sold to the highest bidder from other producers through out the surrounding area. In 2008 a majority of the hay ground will be put up for lease on crop shares.
Fencing Program: With the employee’s being trained in the Tribal Laws as well as the Kansas State Laws as to constructing fence on personal property and also for right away projects that the Nation is involved in. On average this supports reconstructing or maintaining around 5 to 10 miles per year of fence work. The miles of pasture fence the Nation owns is typically a maintenance duty of the Lessee.
USDA Programs: With compliance issues being a major part of the LMD ongoing contracts with the USDA (United Stated Department of Agriculture). Through the USDA the department is involved in CRP (Conservation Reserve Program), and other disaster relief programs through this organization. The department also is involved with the FSA (Farm Service Agency) and through this branch of the USDA the LMD receives monies to help improve HEL (Highly Erodable Land) through EGIP (Environment Quality Incentives Program).
Division Mission Statement: The staff of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Land Management Department the land is not a commodity to be sold, bartered, exchanged or given up. Care-taking responsibility for the land is in the hands of the generation of today to insure the land for the future generations.