Council members serve for four-year staggered terms. Economy Agriculture and Livestock Fort Belknap has an agriculturally-based economy, which includes farming, ranching, and leasing lands. Grazing permits represent a substantial percentage of the tribe's annual revenue. The tax is waived for the first 300 head of tribal-member owned cattle. The reservation leases both irrigated and dry farm land, totaling 85,386 acres.
Important crops grown on the reservation include wheat, hay, and barley.
Forestry Fort Belknap's timber reserves lie in the southern part of the reservation in the Little Rocky Mountains. The tribe currently maintains 33,700 acres of wooded land through a ten-year forest management plan. The timber's potential, at this time, seems limited to a small post and pole operation. After approximately 15 more years of managed growth, the timber could support commercial sales and a larger scale harvest. Pine is predominant.