Starting in January, Navajo farmers and ranchers will have access to new insurance coverage through a partnership between a Navajo women’s business and a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has officially signed an agreement with Native Land Insurance Services, Inc. to provide protection for enrolled Navajo ranches and ranchers from extreme weather events such as droughts and floods.
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The signing took place during a live radio broadcast and Facebook stream, where President Nygren was joined by Brittany Begay, CEO and co-owner of Native Land Insurance, along with her brother and Native Land ambassadors: PRCA champion team ropers Derrick Begay, Aaron Tsinigine and Erich Rogers.
“It’s a big day for Navajo, a big day for Native lands and a big day for our farmers and ranchers,” said President Nygren. “I am glad that our Navajo people are coming together to speak positively. We are here to work, to support, to help our family, to help our country, and that is what today is about.”
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage Insurance Program (PRF) to help agricultural producers reduce the risks of forage loss due to insufficient precipitation.
To support Navajo producers, the Navajo Nation established the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), aimed at improving and maintaining agricultural and ranching infrastructure. Any compensation from the PRF program will be allocated to this fund, which helps farmers reduce post-harvest losses, increase decision-making flexibility for farmers and ranchers, increase productivity and reduce costs.
Native Land Insurance, designated as a Navajo Priority 2 company under the Navajo Business Opportunity Act, is 51% to 91% Navajo owned and controlled. The founder, Brittany Begay, launched the company after working as a crop insurance agent since 2020.
A native of Seba Delkai, Begay graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. For the past three years, she has worked with tribal ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona through the Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Program.
“For generations, my family has been involved in raising livestock – sheep, cattle and horses – on the Navajo Nation,” she said. “We earned a living by taking care of our livestock. These teachings were passed down from our grandparents, and this is what our lives revolve around.”
Native Land’s top priority is creating safe, comprehensive and conservative insurance policies for Navajo and Native ranchers, she said.
“The way it works is we look at the historical results for each farmer,” she says. “We look at the 15-year history. If it has more net positive benefits, it’s good to insure. This is how we like to structure our policy. We don’t like to predict Mother Nature. If it is dry, they will receive benefits. And when it is wet, they are given food so they can feed their livestock.”
Mike Halona, director of the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources, said Native Land Insurance was selected after a rigorous, multi-layered Request For Proposal process.
“This is the first time it has been purchased properly,” he said. “We had the bid openings, had 10 people serving on the assessment team, two people from the business regulator, when usually there is only one, two people from purchasing, and the division was represented by lead counsel Robert Allen.”
Department of Agriculture Director Jesse Jim brought two staff members with years of experience in contract review and procurement procurement. Staff from the Fish and Wildlife Department and the Land Department also reviewed and approved the insurance agreement and RFP, Halona said.
“Native Land is a Navajo-owned company run by a woman who knows ranching,” he said. “We now have an insurance agent named Navajo who understands Navajo, lives on Navajo and they are all for the farmers.”
“My family is ranchers and mostly into rodeo, so that’s where our background comes from,” Begay said. “We had sheep and cows. That is how most Navajo live and know us.”
Native Land Insurance’s mission is to deliver sustainable risk management solutions based on years of service and deep-rooted community connections in every client partnership, she said. Her office can be reached at 928-221-2224.
“Our experience comes from working closely with tribal councils, the Department of Natural Resources, grazing associations and individuals with a tailored approach that respects and upholds tribal governance and values,” she said. “With programs federally funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency, you can rely on our strength and reliability to protect the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers.”
Team Leader Aaron Tsinigine, Ambassador of Native Land, told President Nygren that he and Brittany Begay approached the Navajo Nation five years ago to try to interest it in Native Land Insurance, but they couldn’t get their foot in the door.
“We thought it was going to be a walk in the park, you know, we were just going to walk in and the nation was going to give us a job,” he said. “We kept coming back and we kept getting rejected.”
But as they continued to see Navajo healthy And cheis with water barrels in the back of their trucks and lining up at the hay vendors every Friday, he said they were inspired to keep trying and not give up.
“They are spending their own money and their own dollar to maintain their lifestyle,” Tsinigine said. ‘So then you know. That’s where we come from, those same teachings. That is what enriches us, this lifestyle. Because that’s the way we learned it, and that’s the way we look at it.”
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