INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TASK FORCE

INDIGI BABY FOODS PRODUCT MANUFACTURING AND DEVELOPMENT AS KNOW, NORTH AMERICAN TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS FOODS SYSTEMS (NATIFS) CO-MANUFACTURED THE INITIAL PRODUCTION RUNS OF FIVE INDIGI BABY FOODS PRODUCTS IN 2023. THEY INFORMED US LATE LAST YEAR THAT THEY WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO CO-MANUFACTURE OUR PRODUCTS BECAUSE OF THEIR LIMITED KITCHEN CAPACITY AND THE TIME AND COST ASSOCIATED WITH MANUFACTURING FOR BABY FOOD PRODUCTS.WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT GOURMET INDULGENCES OUT OF MADISON, WISCONSIN TO CO-MANUFACTURE OUR PRODUCTS. GOURMET INDULGENCES TRANSPORTED SOME OF THE FROZEN INGREDIENTS FOR THE PRODUCTS EARLIER THIS SUMMER. THEY HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED UPDATED PROCESS AUTHORITY SCHEDULES AND A SMALL BATCH TEST RUN. OUR NEXT STEPS ARE TO PURCHASE BAR CODES AND REVISE LABELS WITH UPDATED NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION. ONCE THIS IS COMPLETED, THEY CAN BEGIN PRODUCTION.TRADEMARKTHE TRADEMARK APPLICATION FOR INDIGI BABY WAS FILED IN FEBRUARY. IT TAKES 7-9 MONTHS FOR THE APPLICATION TO BE APPROVED SO WE SHOULD HEAR SOMETHING SOON.FARM PRODUCTIONTHIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR FARM PRODUCTION DUE TO THE TWO MONTHS OF HEAVY RAINFALL RECEIVED. THE RAIN CAUSED SOME DELAYS IN FIELD PREPARATION AND THEN SEVERE STUNTING OF SOME CROPS. ONCE PLANTED FOR EXAMPLE, MOST OF OUR SQUASH SEED SIMPLY STOP GERMINATING DUE, IN PART, DUE TO WATER SATURATED SOILS AND LOW OXYGEN. WE REPLANTED BEANS AND SQUASH. THE HOPI BLACK BEANS ARE DOING WELL, AS IS THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BUT OUR GETE OKOSOMIN SQUASH HAVE FAILED. RUTABAGAS GOT OFF TO A STRONG START BUT HAVE BEEN SLOWED BY FUNGI AND BACTERIA DISEASES WHICH THRIVE IN HIGH MOISTURE AND HUMIDITY. SOME STEPS TO WATER LOGGING AND SOIL COMPACTION AND EROSION FROM TOO MUCH RAIN IN THE FUTURE INCLUDE: STARTING SQUASH PLANTS IN GREENSHOUSE (IN LATE MAY, A GREENHOUSE WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THE INDIGI BABY FARM SPACE RENTED FROM SHARON), GOING BACK TO PLANTING SQUASH IN HILLS AND MULCHING, INCREASING USE OF COVER CROPS, AND INCORPORATING RAMP VIVAN/CONTOUR HEDGEROW SYSTEM.

HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING - THIS PROGRAM OFFERS FREE HIV RAPID TESTING AT OUR MAIN OFFICE AND THE HOUSING COMMUNITY CENTER. PRE AND POST TEST COUNSELING AND REFERRALS ARE PROVIDED WITH INCENTIVES. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES INTEGRATED HIV TESTING, COUNSELING, AND REFERRALS PER YEAR. IN HARM REDUCTION, THERE WERE 464 PEOPLE TESTED FOR HIV. HARM REDUCTION ALSO DISTRIBUTED 30,355 CLEAN SYRINGES IN EXCHANGE FOR USED SYRINGES, 959 FENTYNAL TEST STRIPS, AND 923 XYLAZINE TEST STRIPS. THE PROGRAM DISTRIBUTED 339 VIALS OF MUSCULAR INJECTIONS AND 1,000 OF THE NASAL SPRAY.