North Dakota Living

Are you a small- or mid-sized farm or food business and looking to expand? Do you need additional equipment, staff time, software or business planning? The Business Builder grant offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture North Central Regional Food Business Center (RFBC) may be able to help.

North Dakota electric cooperative leaders have been monitoring bills, testifying on proposed legislation and engaging with policymakers during the 2025 legislative session.

“We’ve had many co-op folks from across the state in Bismarck already this session. They’ve provided expert testimony on large electric load siting and wildfire mitigation and have truly starred in their efforts to advocate on behalf of North Dakota’s electric cooperatives,” says Zac Smith, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) communications and government relations director.

MSU empowers futures
For over a century, Minot State University (MSU) has empowered students with the confidence and skills to lead fulfilling lives in their communities. By providing over $4 million in scholarships and aid annually, nearly half of MSU students graduate debt-free.

Head Cook Barbie Martin’s scratch-made recipes aren’t the only “favorites” in the Anamoose-Drake Elementary School lunchroom. The cafeteria staff is, too. Martin’s presence and the culture she has set up in the lunchroom is important for the entire school, says Superintendent Steve Heim. Read more here.

North Dakota Living was wowed by the amount and quality of the photo entries submitted in our first ever photo contest! We received almost 300 submissions depicting the life, love and land of the great state of North Dakota.

We had a heck of a time choosing the winners.

Thanks to everyone who particpated and congratulations to the winners of the 2025 North Dakota Living Photo Contest!

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Watch for information on the 2026 contest later this year.

A North Dakota woman is being inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame.

On Dec. 6, 2024, the Cooperative Development Foundation announced Lori Capouch as a 2025 inductee. The Cooperative Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to cooperatives. She is the first woman from North Dakota to receive the prestigious honor.

Over the years, Jason Bentz (read about him here), co-general manager of the Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative (IEA), and his family have caught a lot of walleye – and found creative ways to keep it exciting. These walleye recipes come from Bentz’s family, particularly his sister, and will have you reaching in your freezer for walleye again and again.

With a transition in the White House, a Republican-controlled Congress and a new governor of North Dakota, co-ops stand ready to work with government leaders at all levels to ensure a pro-energy regulatory agenda that protects electric affordability and reliability.

While regulatory and industry initiatives have improved winter readiness, many regions of the country are once again at elevated risk of electricity supply shortfalls in the event of extreme weather, the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) states in its 2024-25 Winter Reliability Assessment released Nov. 14.

Three sisters – Annie (Sproule) Gorder, Mollie (Sproule) Ficocello and Grace (Sproule) Lunski – are on a mission to revolutionize how people think about pasta. Their company, 3 Farm Daughters, offers a healthier and nutrient-packed line of pasta with only two ingredients – wheat flour and semolina – made from the crops grown on the Sproule family farm near Grand Forks. Read their story on here.