HOMINY, Okla. — Osage Nation is taking steps to improve food security.
“We’re serving a very underserved area," said Joe Thompson, plant manager for the Osage Nation Meat Processing facility.
Osage Nation opened its meat processing facility in Hominy in February.
It processes from the tribe’s ranch in Osage County as well as other customers in the area.
"We did 60 in May and this month, we’re going to be about 58, 59," Thompson said.
The tribe spent $10 million of CARES Act funding to build the processing plant to help fill a need highlighted during the pandemic - food insecurity.
“Being in this small part of the country, I mean if you come out here, we’re kind of at the end of the supply chain," Thompson said. "By the time the product got over to here, there wasn’t any product left for people to consume. And the shelves were empty here.”
Now, it’s taking its business a step further with a new meat market, Butcher House Meats. It has both fresh and frozen beef, bison and pork. Most of it is straight from Osage Nation’s ranch.
“So they know exactly where it’s coming from and whose hands were on it and how it got there," Thompson said.
There are also plans to open a deli counter.
The tribe is working to continue to bring food options to an area that doesn’t have many.
“The next phase after that is to move into fully-cooked items, ready to eat items so when people come up here if they need something for dinner, they’re within driving distance," Thompson said.
The meat processing plant also hopes to become one of the top employers for the area. Bringing not only food, but also jobs to those who need it.
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