By Heidi Marttila-Losure, Dakotafire Media Reporting by Doug Card, The Britton Journal; Bill Krickac, Clark County Courier; and Jessica Giard Pushing crowds. General chaos. That’s the national image of Black Friday (and, with the change in store’s door-opening hours, Black Thanksgiving Evening). Area small-town retailers would like shoppers to consider another option: Skip the crowds, and stay home for ... Read More »
Author Archives: Heidi Marttila-Losure
Corn has negative margins in 2014
Crop planning budgets for 2014 are showing negative margins for corn, explained Jack Davis, SDSU Extension Crops Business Management Field Specialist. Read More »
Resources for rural communities, November 27, 2013
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 »
FiredUp: Wearing many hats is the country way
Just when I think the urban-rural divide isn’t as wide as it once was—the UPS truck can deliver Amazon packages to skyscrapers or machine sheds, and we all have way too many channels on TV—I see something that points out we’re still not always understanding one another. So, in the interest of bridge-building, here’s a little translation. Jim Romanesko, a ... Read More »
FiredUp: Beauty is part of the structure of building to last
“If you consider only utility, the things you build will soon be useless. This building is boarded up because nobody has a use for it. Nobody has a use for it because nobody wants to be in it. And nobody wants to be in it because the thing is so damned ugly.” —Roger Scruton, speaking before a graffitied abandoned building ... Read More »
Screens, technology are commonplace in Dakota classrooms
While health leaders warn of the effect of too much screen time for children, schools increase their use of technology. The key is how it's used, they say. Read More »
FiredUp: Should the future of journalism include advocacy?
The recent conversation between Bill Keller and Glenn Greenwald on the standards that journalists should live by is relevant to the work that we do at Dakotafire. Read More »
Mediation services give farmers options
By Lana Bandoim What happens when farm family members can’t agree about what to do with a family business or an inheritance? Both North and South Dakota offer mediation services than can help two parties resolve their issues. Mediation is a negotiation that is conducted by a neutral third party. Jodi Bechard, director of Mediation and Ag Finance Counseling ... Read More »
STUDY: South Dakota on low end of participation in farm-to-school programs; North Dakota near national average
(NPN) – Though one of the most agriculture-dependent states in the nation, South Dakota is among a group of states that have the lowest percentage of schools participating in farm-to-school activities, according a new USDA report. Twenty-four percent of South Dakota school districts that reported to the USDA said they had some sort of farm-to-school activity. Only six schools or ... Read More »
Knowledge about Common Core not so common
As Common Core standards started going into effect in Dakota classrooms this fall, state education leaders probably expected to spend some time explaining what the standards are. But Ryan Townsend, director of academic standards for the N.D. Department of Public Instruction, said he’s spent a lot of time lately explaining what the standards are not. “A lot of it is based on misinformation, unfortunately,” he said. Read More »