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North Dakota farmers and growers sought for FARRMS Survey

If you are a farmer or are considering diversifying your farm or may be launching a new farm business, we can help you grow. FARRMS and Common Enterprise Development Corporation (CEDC) are working together on a producer/farmer survey exploring the feasibility of light processing, food hubs, farmer alliances or similar tools to increase the amount of fresh produce grown and eaten locally. Planning includes an economic development summit in early 2015 to discuss potential projects with economic developers.

Elliot Eisenberg spoke to a full room about the positive effect that housing construction can have on a community’s economy. Photo by Heidi Marttila-Losure

Five Quotes to Note From the S.D. Housing Conference

The 2013 conference of the South Dakota Housing Development Authority celebrated the 40th anniversary of the organization. Here are some words from just a few of the speakers at the conference that might interest Dakotafire readers.

Resources for rural communities, January 2, 2014

The following is from Christine Sorensen, rural development coordinator for the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development in Pierre, S.D. Read on for valuable resources for rural communities, including several grant opportunities.

FiredUp: It’s a new year. Let’s edit our Dakota story.

The stories we tell ourselves are based in reality—but they are not reality. They are one interpretation of events, one way to look at what has happened to us and who we are. It’s not about “fact” versus “fiction”—facts themselves have little power over us. What shapes our lives are the stories we tell about those facts.

New Weather Station in Marshall County

via SDSU Extension   BROOKINGS, S.D. — Thanks to a public-private partnership, Marshall County has a new weather station. The station, sponsored by Full Circle Ag of Britton, reports live weather and ag data. It will operate as a part… 

Tiffany Coyne goes for a run at the TLC fitness center in Webster where she can keep warm while snow falls outside Dec. 4. Those with memberships have 24/7 access at TLC. Photo by Amanda Fanger/Reporter & Farmer

Fitness centers a growing trend in Dakota small towns

Many area communities now offer an option that until a few years ago was only available in larger communities: A place to exercise, with specialized machines and sometimes classes available—and no need to exercise in the cold and snow.

Erik Losure, 5, and Sofia Losure, 7, stop during a bike ride to enjoy the colors of a beautiful Dakota sunset. In less than 10 years, a transmission line is slated to be built in that sunset view. Photo by Heidi Marttila-Losure

FiredUp: My view of the transmission line

I was walking along a gravel road near my home recently, thinking about a phone call I had received the evening before. A representative for a power company had asked if my sister and I had thought more about the…