This $199,496 Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants – Supplemental Funding program (CFDA 10.180) will support the expansion of the Charging Buffalo Meat Processing Facility located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Facility, operated by the non-profit organization One Spirit, currently employs local Lakota workers to process buffalo meat and serve the indigenous communities of the Oglala Lakota Nation under a South Dakota special exempt certification.
The grant funding will allow the Facility to expand its physical footprint by adding required processing equipment, upgrading support services, and redesigning product flow. This will prepare the Facility for a higher level of state or federal certification by September 2023. Obtaining such additional certification is necessary for the Facility to grow from a highly subsidized startup to a sustainable operation that can ship traditionally processed meat products into interstate commerce and better serve the needs of its animal producers and consumers.