Pat Cornelius, Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, Board Member of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative, wears many hats in the field of agriculture.
Pat Cornelius, a member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, has provided extensive continuing service to agricultural organizations that many of us would find daunting. Pat currently serves on the following councils and committees:
*1980 was appointed to the Oneida Tribe's Land Commission and has served in this land acquisition and land use decision-making position for nearly 27 years;
*1992 was named the Oneida voting delegate and is a Board member of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative;
*1994 was appointed a member and delegate to the Intertribal Agricultural Council (IAC);
*1994 was instrumental in establishing the Oneida (and the first) Indian Reservation Tribal Conservation Advisory Council in Wisconsin in lieu of forming a conservation district – this later led to the creation of a Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (WTCAC) with representation from each conservation advisory council of the eleven tribes in the state;
*1994 assisted in organizing the Glacierland RC&D in Northeastern Wisconsin and presented testimony to the USDA Agricultural Secretary in support of the federal designation in 2001;
*1994 represented the Oneida Nation Farm and Agricultural Center as a member of the newly formed Oneida Community Integrated Food System (OCIFS) in which all food related programs were brought together to develop a strategic plan to integrate Tribally produced foods back into the community.
*1995 was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to be minority advisor to the Outagamie County office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.
Pat Cornelius currently is the Agricultural Manager for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and has diversified and expanded the Oneida farm operations to become one of the largest farms in the northeastern part of the state.
Pat became manager, in 1992, of 350 acres of land and 35 head of beef cattle. For the past 15 years, the farm produced corn, hay, small grains, and for a few years, grew under contract, snap beans, sweet corn, and peas for sale to a local cannery. Today, in 2007, the Oneida agricultural operations has grown to 9,000 acres with 4,026 acres in a mix of crops including 1,362 acres of alfalfa, 290 acres in corn silage, 1,553 acres in corn, 361 acres in soybeans, 195 acres of wheat, and 265 acres in pasture. About 4,000 acres is committed to federal conservation programs and the restoration of many wetlands and trout quality waterways within the reservation.
(see Photo #3 at the end of the article)
The livestock numbers reached a high of 700 feeder steers in the early part of Pat's tenure as farm manager. This large herd was downsized to establish a more profitable Black Angus beef herd that currently numbers between 450 and 550 head in its feedlot operation, depending on butchering and processing of animals, for a niche market.
(see Photo #4 at the end of the article)
Another aspect of the cattle operation is a 125 cow-calf grazing program that was established in 2005 which is proving to be a success for providing a healthier naturally fed meat animal and as a source for its young feeder stock.
(see Photo #5 at the end of the article)
But, what is of additional interest about the Oneida agricultural operation is that the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin had lost all but about 200 acres of their 43,534 acre reservation by 1960's. Since then, the tribe has been re-acquiring its reservation land, acre by acre, and the acreage has increased enough to utilize some of it for grazing animals.
Pat Cornelius saw what was happening on the western reservations with the reintroduction of the Bison and knew that tribal members would be heartened if Bison could be reintroduced onto the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin. As a participating member of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative, Pat applied for a grant in 1995 to acquire some of the Bison that were made available to member tribes.
(see Photo's #6 & #7 at the end of the article)
In August, 1996, Oneida Nation installed electricity, well, watering system, and fencing for starting a Bison Range. In October of 1997, the Oneida Tribe established a buffalo herd with 13 heifers and a bull that were moved from the Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Pat describes the arrival of the Bison in Oneida when they jumped from the truck, as an awesome spiritual moment because "the earth shook" and it was felt by others, as they watched this historic event.
(see Photo #8 at the end of the article)
In total, the Oneida Tribe has committed 400 acres of land to the Bison Range and feed crops for the Bison program. The Intertribal Bison Cooperative awarded a grant to the Oneida Tribe to enhance and improve a sustainable Native Prairie Grass for high quality forage in the Bison Range. The pastureland uses a rotational grazing system with fenced paddocks. Additional improvements were made to the Bison infrastructure including a well system, high tensile electric fencing, a corral handling system, and land improvements. After these improvements, 26 yearlings and 2 Bison bulls were added to the herd.
(see Photo #9 at the end of the article)
In 2007, the Bison herd has increased to 120 adults and 43 calves, with additional animals from South Dakota and through calving. The establishment of the Bison herd has had a significant effect on the interest of tribal members; this can be found through the numbers of people making daily visits, winter or summer, to a viewing mound and shelter.
(see Photo's #10 & #11 at the end of the article)
To educate the community members about Bison and other aspects of agriculture, Pat is working with the Oneida Nation School System to begin teaching agricultural education, using Bison as the first subject, to gain greater awareness of how food is produced, how it affects the economy, and potential employment. That effort resulted in the Oneida School System funding a "Learn and Serve K-12" program which prepared a publication titled Tsyotekliya'ku Tkahutsya'y' or Bison Environment.
(see Photo #12 at the end of the article)
The Oneida Farm uses state inspected local companies to do butchering, processing, packaging and freezing of Bison and beef meats. The Oneida Farm direct-markets, through local advertising, all of the beef and some Bison through sales to tribal members and to employees through a payroll deduction plan. Beef sales are also made to the general public which has an increasing number of buyers in northeastern Wisconsin. Oneida also has a retail outlet at the Tribe's Orchard Store for select cuts of meats, and a variety of fruits, vegetables, seafood's, etc. Sales of Bison skulls, hides, horns, etc. and is increasing. Tourism is an area of study to increase revenues to enhance the bottom line.
Successful agriculture is what farmers work toward. On November 10, 2005, in recognition of agricultural success, the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government program "The Harvard Project on American Economic Development", presented the Oneida Nation Farm staff the coveted High Honors award. The Oneida Nation Farm was selected on its ability to provide positive social, political, cultural, and economic prosperity while providing aggressive environmental stewardship. The High Honors is for outstanding work in the area of managing and diversifying a sustainable farm. Along with this recognition of High Honors, they were also awarded $10,000 to help share their success story with other governments. In using the financial award, a video and written story about the Oneida Nation agricultural efforts is being produced.
(see Photo #13 at the end of the article)
Pat Cornelius is one of the few female farm managers in Wisconsin and the region. Pat has forged a path for Agricultural operations to follow into the future that is respected highly by neighboring farmers, businesses, local units of government, and state and federal agricultural agencies.
(see Photo #14 at the end of the article)
For more information about the Oneida Nation Farm and Agricultural Center programs, please contact:
Patricia (Pat) A. Cornelius, Manager
Oneida Nation Farms and Agricultural Center
P.O. Box 365
Oneida, WIS 54155
Phone 920-833-7952
E-mail: farm@oneidanation.org
Photographs taken by the Oneida Farms and Agricultural Center and Parker J. Plitz, Senior Planner for the Oneida Nation's Planning Department.
If there are errors and omissions in this presentation please accept the apology of Parker J. Plitz, principle author. We welcome your comments and suggestions. P.O. Box 365, Oneida, WI 54155. Phone 920-869-4581. E-mail: pplitz@oneidanation.org
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