The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska announced a $4.8 million federal grant from the USDA to build a facility for harvesting, processing, manufacturing and storing buffalo meat.
The facility in Niobrara, NE, will harvest and distribute buffalo meat to Tribal members nationwide, honoring sacred traditions, the Tribe said. According to Courtney Chavez, CEO of Tribal Affairs, construction will start in fall of 2024 and finish by spring of 2025. The facility will create jobs for Tribal members in the rural community and help feed over 5,800 members across the country.
“We greatly appreciate the United States Department of Agriculture’s grant to support the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s ongoing work to sustainably harvest buffalo from our herd to feed our tribal members across the country,” said Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Chairwoman Candace Schmidt. “This grant will help our Tribe advance our mission to provide services, support and nutrition to our tribal members regardless of whether they live within our Tribal service area.”
