Oklahoma tribe breaks ground on 35,000 sq. ft. greenhouse

MIAMI, Okla. — A northeast Oklahoma tribe broke ground Tuesday (10/1) on one of the largest greenhouse projects in the Four State area.

Peoria Tribe leaders broke ground on a 35,000 square foot greenhouse.

"We'll be growing lettuce and greens. We'll be growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and strawberries," said greenhouse manager, Sam Doty.

Growing will take place year-round using state-of-the-art soilless methods, expected to yield greater amounts of fruits and vegetables than conventional field methods.

"Part of why we're doing this soil-less agriculture technique is so that we can be just as productive in the month of December as we were in in the month of June," said Doty.

The greenhouse will provide food for all Peoria Tribe restaurants, child-care facilities, and elder care programs.

"We really hope this has a big impact on our citizens. We hope they feel the positive effects for not only today, tomorrow, but this generation and seven generations to come,” said Peoria Tribe Natural Resources Director, Erin Barnes.

One of the main goals of the new facility is curbing food insecurity within the tribe.

"This is what we do. Culturally we provide, culturally we cultivate, and culturally we harvest, so this is a real short step for us in understanding our needs of our own nation and our community, and today is the first step in fulfilling that,” said Peoria Tribe Chief, Craig Harper.

Just as soon as the groundbreaking ceremony was over, the construction work quickly began. The project is expected to be complete next spring. When construction is finished, the Peoria Tribe greenhouse will be one of the largest in the area.

"One of our greatest talents is taking a very practically thing and making it beautiful. This is going to be an example of this. We're going to have just a beautiful, beautiful facility, besides being practical,” said Chief Harper.