University of Arkansas faculty to design new Quapaw Tribe plant

The University of Arkansas (U of A) has announced that faculty from its Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the School of Law are teaming up with the Quapaw Tribe to help design and build a new meat-processing plant near Miami, Oklahoma.

“It is envisioned there would be availability of the facilities for meat judging and grading training, and also for food safety and meat processing training,” Bumpers College professor Harold Goodwin said. “Most likely, students involved would be from animal science and food science.”

U of A students will have an opportunity to gain experience and training at the plant when it is completed and operational in May, 2017.

“If you go back into individual tribes’ history on this continent, particularly before European contact, there were massive levels of food production,” Janie Hipp, who is a Chickasaw Nation citizen, said. “Tribes were not just hunting and gathering as ancient peoples on this continent. Many tribes were involved in food production historically and remain deeply involved in food and agriculture today. Tribes all across the United States have a rich history in food production and the Quapaw Tribe’s move into food processing and food science is an exciting next step.”