The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing partnerships for a new, interagency pilot project aimed at offering more localized ground bison meat for tribal communities through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). The pilot will look at changes to how USDA purchases bison to better support buying the meat from local, small, and mid-sized bison herd managers and delivering it directly to their local tribal communities.
Today’s announcement was made by USDA with principals from the three tribal nations participating in the pilot, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, their herd managers, and local producer Dakota Pure Bison.
These local purchases will reduce the time and distance the meat travels to the consumer, increase economic development market opportunities for tribal and local bison operations, and provide high quality, nutritious foods for nutrition assistance programs.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which coordinates food purchases on behalf of USDA; the Food and Nutrition Service, which administers FDPIR; the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the USDA Office of Tribal Relations are working together to bring this new opportunity to tribal communities.
USDA news release
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