September 2024 Member Highlight

Indian Country Advocate & Lifelong Montana Cowboy Leon LaSalle from the Chippewa Cree Tribe

Leon LaSalle is a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe and a lifelong cowboy from Rocky Boy, Montana.

As a third-generation cattle rancher, Leon has accrued extensive agricultural experience over nearly four decades in the business, from president of his local cattlemen's association to a long career working for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). His 33 years at NRCS allowed Leon to gain necessary insight into the USDA’s successes and shortcomings when working with Tribes and Native producers. Leon worked on three different Indian reservations in Montana and eventually had the opportunity to become the State Tribal Liaison for Montana NRCS. 

In this position, he witnessed producers struggle to use the new USDA programs following the transition from programs provided by the Bureau of Indian Administration (BIA). Leon found that he could support troubleshooting and negotiations. Yet, he was explicitly told that he could not attend those meetings nor work with producers within his own reservation. “It made me angry,” Leon said. “To the point where I kind of got it in my mind that when I have an opportunity to retire, I'm going to look into seeing how I can further the cause of Native Americans.” 

True to his word, he advocated for Indian Country and was pivotal in helping the Rocky Boy and Fort Belknap Native Communities negotiate with NRCS on the first two alternative funding arrangements provided in the 2018 Farm Bill. These arrangements were finally signed in 2022, bringing additional funds to Tribal producers for conservation practices. This was just one way that Leon proved his support for Indian agriculture and the impact of policy. 

Once Leon retired in 2021, the Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC) caught his attention as a resource for his Tribe. Understanding the nuance required to work on natural resources issues on his reservation, he approached his Tribal Council to speak on their behalf as a Tribal proxy. They agreed, and the Tribe joined the Coalition with Leon’s representation. 

Committed to advocating for Native producers, Leon attended an NFBC Fly-In to Capitol Hill during the spring of 2023, saying,

“It was quite an experience to actually meet with the Coalition and their leadership […] The people that are on the front line up there in D.C.”

Witnessing the NFBC’s impact firsthand, he felt his voice was finally being heard, “The Coalition gives us a great avenue to come together. Prior to the Coalition forming, a Tribe on its own talking to a Senator or Congressman has a little bit of impact, but not nearly the type that I see going on there with the NFBC,” said Leon. 

When asked what he hopes for in the upcoming Farm Bill, Leon voiced that crop insurance policies for Native producers are severely under-addressed, particularly for cattle ranchers. Montana Native producers mainly have grassland or open-range cattle. The current opportunities for crop insurance leave out nearly 100% of ranchers in his region. The insurance that does exist is financially out of reach for the majority. “It's very expensive,” Leon explained. “[Ranchers] can't afford it. That crop insurance is aimed at larger producers who can afford the big premiums.”

His lifelong ranching career gives Leon a powerful perspective and expertise to Capitol Hill. Leon emphasizes that the Nation’s producers need resources to address regional issues. From the perspective of both current and future Native producers, the success of the land they steward highlights what is essential for crafting a productive Farm Bill for agriculture across Indian Country.