QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) - The Quapaw Tribe plans an opening ceremony this week as it debuts its new, $5 million meat processing plant in northeastern Oklahoma. The tribe says the facility is the first USDA-inspected processing plant on a reservation that's owned and operated by a tribe.
The beef and bison processing plant is in Quapaw, about 185 miles (297 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The tribe plans a grand opening event Thursday.
The tribe says the plant is a "natural expansion" of its agriculture program that includes a herd of Black Angus cattle and a herd of bison. The plant will process meat from those herds, along with other herds, and the tribe will distribute meat products under the name Quapaw Cattle Company.
The plant will be operated by the Quapaw Tribe.