Two Native American tribes in Oklahoma are planning to construct separate meat processing facilities. The Cherokee and Osage nations have announced plans for processing plants, to be operational by early 2021.

According to the Tulsa World, the Cherokee Nation is planning to convert a shuttered horticulture nursery into a 12,000-square-foot facility, west of Tahlequah. The facility will be used to process beef, pork and bison and is expected to employ seven people. According to the Anadisgoi News Room, the plant will first serve Cherokee citizens with food insecurities before potentially expanding into the larger commercial marketplace.

“We are moving quickly, but carefully, given the time constraints to execute capital projects under the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), which will fund at least a portion of the meat processing facility,” said Cherokee National Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Today’s announcement is an important milestone and we will continue to celebrate the construction phases of this facility to keep tribal citizens informed of its progress.”

Additionally, the Osage Nation is also constructing a 25,000-square-foot facility in Hominy that will employ approximately 30 people. Drovers has also reported that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation broke ground earlier this summer on Loop Square Meat Co. in Glenpool. The facility will offer meat processing and retail cuts to the general public.

Source: Tulsa World, Cherokee Nation, Drovers