Bison, Beef and Tribal Food Sovereignty

The history and culture of the Lakota people are intrinsically intertwined with bison. In this farminar, Jayme Murray will discuss the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s work to develop food security on the Cheyenne River Reservation by purchasing a state-inspected facility to process the Tribe’s beef and bison. He’ll discuss the challenges of getting the meat into local grocery stores and schools, as well as successes, community reception and the importance of food sovereignty.

• Jayme Murray is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is a sixth-generation cow-calf rancher on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Jayme works as the CEO of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Buffalo Authority Corporation, where he oversees the operations and management of a 1,200-head bison herd, a 200-head beef cattle herd and West Side Meats, the corporation’s state-inspected processing facility in Mobridge, South Dakota.