“We just met a meat guy from Walmart who said we have the nicest (processing plant) in the United States and second only to a plant in New Zealand,” Berrey said.

The plant is about building an economy that is agricultural-based that supports local businesses and feeds local people, he said.

Berrey said the plant will also allow the Quapaw Tribe the opportunity to take other people’s cattle and processes it.

“It’s both community development and economic development for the tribe and surrounding communities,” Berrey said. “We want to partner with the state’s agriculture agencies.”

Oklahoma has an $8 billion agricultural commodities industry, said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese.

“But we don’t process that,” Reese said. We need to increase processing and instead of selling buffalo on the hoof we need to sell steak on the plate.”

One recently passed initiative passed at the National Bison Association meeting was “Bison 1 Million,” said Dave Carter, National Bison Association executive director.

“We currently have 400,000 (bison),” Carter said.

The Quapaw Processing Plant is a critical link to that goal, he said.

The Quapaw Processing Plant is located in the far eastern corner of Ottawa County about 97 miles east of Tulsa near the Missouri and Kansas border.

Michael Dekker 918-581-8469 michael.dekker@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @michaeldekkerTW

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