Colville Tribes Receive $16.5 Million Grant For Meat Processing Plant

The Colville Tribes are receiving a $16.5 million grant to build a meat processing plant in Omak.

Funding for the 28,000-square-foot plant is being awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program.

It will be located on Omak Mission Road and built on the site of a former food processing facility.

The Colville Tribes say the plant will process bison, deer, elk, fish, and moose using methods including canning, cold storage, drying, freezing, and smoking.

The facility will blend established tribal food processing techniques with state-of-the-art technology and will also feature classroom space to educate new generations about traditional tribal fishing, hunting, and processing methods.

Colville Tribal Chairman, Jarred Michael-Erickson, says the plant is expected to process as much as 200,000 pounds of meat annually.