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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. Read More »

On a topic such as genetically modified organisms, with vast interconnections into so many locations and areas of study, it’s impossible for any one person to see the whole picture. More voices—including some rural ones—can help us get better information and make better decisions. Read More »

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. Read More »

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. Read More »

Do you know someone who works to build community and knows that community doesn’t stop neatly at the city limits? Nominate that person for a ViTality Award. Read More »

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. Read More »

Are there hungry people in your community? Yes. But we may not see them because they look just like everybody else. Read More »

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 of the statewide network of weather stations maintained by South Dakota State University. Joe Gustafson, Location Manager at Full Circle ... Read More »

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. Read More »

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 proposal he had showed us. I didn’t really know what to tell him. The Big Stone South to Ellendale transmission ... Read More »