(NIOBRARA, Neb.) – The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska today announced it has received a $4.8 million federal grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build a facility to harvest, process, manufacture, and store buffalo meat. The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska will use this facility to sustainably harvest and distribute meat from its buffalo herd to tribal members located across the country in accordance with sacred tribal traditions.
According to Courtney Chavez, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s CEO of Tribal Affairs, the grant funds will be used to support the building of a facility in Niobrara, Nebraska, which is the traditional homelands of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and will be located near the Tribe’s buffalo herd. Construction is expected to begin in fall of 2024 with completion by spring of 2025. The facility will create several jobs for Tribal members residing in a rural community and help to feed over 5,800 members nationwide.
“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.”
The grant falls under the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the awards in Cherokee, North Carolina at National Congress of American Indiana (NCAI) 2024 Mid-Year Convention and Marketplace.
In the announcement from the USDA, Sec. Vilsack said, “USDA has worked hand-in-hand with Tribal Nations to ensure our programs incorporate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. As part of our commitment to Tribes, we are making good on our promises and investing in projects that advance food sovereignty and self-determination for Tribal Nations.”