Indian Extension Contracts Totaling $519,000 Signed With 15 States

Contracts totaling $519,000 have been signed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs with 15 States to provide agricultural extension services this fiscal year, the Department of the Interior announced today. The services are for Indian ranch and farm families on reservations.

The contracts were signed under authority of the Johnson-O’Malley Act of 1934, as amended in 1936. This law authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to contract with and pay States and political subdivisions for the provision of services such as education and agricultural extension to Indian people.

In most of the States covered this is the third year of contract relationships for Indian extension work. The contract in Oklahoma, however, is now in its 'fifth year.

Signing of the contracts is in line with the Department's policy of encouraging Indian participation in State and local governmental services to the fullest possible extent.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs continues to provide direct extension services to Indian agricultural families in New Mexico outside of McKinley and Rio Arriba Counties, and in Arizona and Mississippi.

The 15 States covered by the contracts and the amounts of each are as follows