In this second half of a two-part series, Steve Thompson, executive director of NCAT, sits down with Loren Birdrattler, project manager of the Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan, or ARMP. They take a closer look at a new partnership between NCAT and the Blackfeet Nation to evaluate the feasibility of a multispecies meat-processing plant. This project is a key part of the Tribe's strategy to create local markets for producers, engage youth more directly in agriculture, and provide healthy, culturally appropriate food for tribal members in this remote corner of rural Montana. In this episode, Loren and Steve have a conversation about how a beef and bison processing plant could support food sovereignty at the Blackfeet Nation. The climate-friendly plant would produce nutritionally superior meat and not only support biodiversity in the region, but also improve the health of Native peoples. Loren spent over a decade working for federal agencies in Washington D.C. and is now back in Montana working for the Blackfeet Tribal Government. Steve Thompson is located at NCAT's Rocky Mountain West Regional Office in Butte, Montana where this podcast was recorded.

Related ATTRA Resources:
Natural Livestock Feasibility Study reports on the feasibility of producers developing alternative markets for grass-finished and organic livestock in Inyo and Mono counties of California.
Building a Montana Organic Livestock Industry examines how organic beef producers in Montana can better access regional and national markets.
Organic and Grass-Finished Beef Cattle Production highlights the practices producers are using to provide customers with nutritious food from pasture- and rangeland-based farms and ranches.

Other Resources

SARE: Blackfeet Agriculture Resource Management Plan.

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