Enhancing And Strengthening North Dakota Nonprofits & Communities

MULTI-SECTOR AND COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS AND IDENTIFYING PARTNERS NEEDED TO ASSIST COMMUNITIES AND GROUPS TO BUILD AND STRENGTHEN LOCAL FOOD PROJECTS.

THIS EDA INVESTMENT WILL CONSTRUCT A REGIONAL PROCESSING FACILITY FOR LOCAL FOODS AND SPECIALTY CROPS IN BALDWIN, NORTH DAKOTA, TO SUPPORT THE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE OF THE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY. WITH THE CONSTRUCTED FACILITY, ENHANCING AND STRENGTHENING NORTH DAKOTA NONPROFITS AND COMMUNITIES (DOING BUSINESS AS STRENGTHEN ND) WILL PROVIDE TRAINING AND TOOLS TO AGRICULTURAL ENTREPRENEURS ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE A SOLID FOUNDATION TO BUILD AND GROW THEIR BUSINESSES. THE PROJECT CREATES LOCAL RESILIENCE BY ADDRESSING THE EVOLVING STATE OF THE LOCAL FOODS ECONOMY AND WILL ULTIMATELY GRADUATE PRIVATE BUSINESS OWNERS THAT PROVIDE GOODS AND SERVICES TO RESIDENTS OF THE REGION AS WELL AS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. THIS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION OF THE REGION THAT IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE COAL SECTOR. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT WILL OF THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN THE SUPPORT AND INCUBATION OF SEVERAL SMALL FARMS EACH YEAR AND THE CREATION OF MORE THAN 47 JOBS AND $1.8 MILLION IN PRIVATE INVESTMENT. THIS PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE REGIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS LED BY THE LEWIS AND CLARK REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. EDA FUNDS THE LEWIS AND CLARK REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO BRING TOGETHER THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO CREATE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP TO STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY, SUPPORT PRIVATE CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND CREATE JOBS.

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NORTH DAKOTA'S LOCAL FOODS SYSTEM IS CRUMBLING. FOOD ACCESS IS CHALLENGING AND FOOD DESERTS ARE COMMON IN RURAL ND AS ND'S RURAL COMMUNITIES HAVE LOST 20% OF THEIR GROCERY STORES SINCE 2013. FURTHER, OF NORTH DAKOTA'S 52 COUNTIES, 6 OF THOSE COUNTIES DO NOT HAVE A GROCERY STORE (2023). THE AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS HAS GROWN FROM 466 ACRES IN 1920 TO 1,506 ACRES IN 2018 DUE PARTLY TO ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, WHICH DECREASES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED TO WORK ON THE FARM. OVERALL, FARMERS ARE GETTING OLDER - THE AVERAGE AGE OF A FARMER IS 59.4, AND YOUNG PRODUCERS, AGE 35 AND UNDER, ONLY ACCOUNT FOR 9% OF THE FARMING POPULATION (2020).NORTH DAKOTA'S AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM IS DOMINATED BY LARGE-SCALE FARMERS PRODUCING CASH CROPS. OF ND'S 26,374 FARMS, ONLY 571 ARE MICROFARMS, OR FARMS THAT PRODUCE SPECIALTY CROPS ON LESS THAN 10 ACRES THAT COULD THEN BE SOLD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING SCHOOLS, GROCERY STORES, AND HOSPITALS OR ACCESSED BY CONSUMERS THROUGH FARMERS MARKETS AND CSAS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO LOCAL FOODS MARKET TRUCK IN THE STATE THAT IS OPEN TO A WIDE ARRAY OF SMALL FARMERS TO SUPPORT DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCTS, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF SMALL FARMS AND STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL FOODS SYSTEM.STRENGTHEN ND IS REQUESTING $272,950 FROM USDA NIFA TO BE MATCHED WITH $363,370 OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD TO LAUNCH A MOBILE MARKET TRUCK TO CATALYZE SMALL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE, INCREASE FOOD ACCESS IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES, AND BRIDGE GAPS IN THE LOCAL FOODS SYSTEM. WITH THIS PROJECT, STRENGTHEN ND AND ITS PARTNERS WILL WORK TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL AND STRATEGIC ACTION STEPS TO BETTER AGGREGATE, AND DISTRIBUTE LOCAL FOODS GROWN IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND AROUND THE STATE. STRENGTHEN ND'S PROPOSED MOBILE MARKET TRUCK WILL WORK IN TANDEM WITH OUR STRONG FARM INCUBATOR PROGRAMMING, VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE ACCELERATOR, AND PROPOSED REGIONAL LOCAL FOODS PROCESSING FACILITY.

RBDG RURAL BUSINESS COOP RURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT

BUILDING RESILIENT FARM COUNTRY IS A COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE TO IDENTIFY UNUSED AGRICULTURAL ASSETS AND DEVELOP INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MICRO-FARMING AND LOCAL FOODS SYSTEMS.

RBDG RURAL BUSINESS COOP NATIVE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE GRANT