Cooperatives

Growing up on a farm near Casselton, Michael Howe never imagined his family’s dinner conversations would inspire an initiative he would later launch as North Dakota’s secretary of state.

“My parents, I would say, are very civically engaged, and I grew up talking about policy at the kitchen table. My parents never ran for office, but we had the 6 o’clock news on during dinner, and you would hear about the events of the day,” he says.

Now, Howe encourages other North Dakotans to understand the benefits of those types of dinner table conversations.

VELVA, N.D. – A crowd gathered in Velva on July 15 for a public announcement and open house for the future home of the North Central Regional Grocery and Local Food Hub.

This summer, take a road trip through 250 years of history without ever leaving North Dakota.

On July 1, “ND 250 Road Trip: Our American Story” opens in the Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives Governors Gallery at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. The exhibit traces the state’s history from 1776 to 2026.

From the rolling row crops in the east to the rugged wheatfields of the west, North Dakota’s electric cooperatives have a top priority for everyone in the field: ensuring every farmer returns home safely.

Power lines are necessary to deliver electricity to hardworking farmers and ranchers, but those same power lines can be deadly if not treated with respect. While farmers need to focus on the field and their machinery, your local electric cooperative urges you to also watch for electrical hazards.

North Dakota Living has been named the 2025 George W. Haggard Memorial Journalism Award winner by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The national award recognizes the top statewide magazine in the electric cooperative network for overall quality and for supporting the national objectives of electric co-ops.

This is North Dakota Living’s 13th Haggard Award and the first for Cally Peterson, who has been editor since 2019.

When you walk into Velva Fresh Foods, it feels like a small-town hug. You’re greeted by smiling staff and good smells – bread baking, meat smoking or whatever homemade lunch owner Brenda McCasson is whipping up that day.

McCasson and her husband, Matt, bought the grocery store in 2019 from former state legislator Shawn Vedaa, who first hired Brenda as a meat cutter in 2016.

“(Shawn) said, ‘Well, you’re basically doing everything anyway. Why don’t you just buy it?’” Brenda recalls.

Sara Vollmer is living out her dream.

“You can’t not love the ranch,” she says.

The Leonard native met her husband, Troy Vollmer, while both were obtaining animal science degrees at North Dakota State University (NDSU).

“We both had the same advisor,” Sara recalls. “(The advisor) told Troy, ‘I’ve been to Wing, Troy. You best find a wife before you leave Fargo.”

Troy, it turns out, was a good student.

North Dakota Living was once again amazed by the photo entries for the second annual photo contest! There were 600 entries, double last year’s amount.

From North Dakota skies to North Dakota people and more, the photos captured North Dakota in all its beauty. The judges remarked how difficult it was to choose the winners.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winners of the 2026 North Dakota Living Photo Contest!

This year, the United States has used tariffs in unprecedented ways.

In an effort to incentivize producers and consumers to manufacture and buy products in the United States – among other goals related to political negotiations and curbing the drug trade – the United States has implemented sweeping tariffs around the globe. Some target entire countries instead of specific commodities, from as low as 10% to as high as 50%.
What’s the point of tariffs? How are North Dakotans affected?