Cooperatives

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.

There is a place in western North Dakota where you can experience a rodeo on Saturday night and a church service on Sunday morning.

Or a monster truck show one day and goat yoga the next.

Nearly five years ago, two North Dakota farmers had an idea to market their barley crop to beer brewers. A local surplus of barley and shortage of malt presented favorable market dynamics, and the pair were willing to bet on themselves, their barley and beer.

The world changed five years ago when the coronavirus pandemic entered our lives. It disrupted everything, from the way we learn and work to the price of groceries and gasoline. While many facets of our lives have returned to normal (or a “new normal”), the American pocketbook is still wishing and waiting for the return of pre-pandemic pricing.

With technological advancements shaping the present and future, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation in Fort Berthold is welcoming innovation and utilizing the tools it offers in a unique way.

High above the ground with a sweeping view of the North Dakota prairie is right where Jacob Lund is meant to be.

As a journeyman lineworker, Lund is often 35 feet in the air, working on the high-voltage electrical infrastructure that powers the lives of his cooperative’s members. And there’s no place he’d rather be.

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 magazine readership survey conducted in August shows familiarity and satisfaction with North Dakota Living are trending upward.

In May 2020, 48% of readers said they were very familiar or familiar with the magazine, while 29% were not very familiar. Familiarity with North Dakota Living increased to 64%, while unfamiliarity dropped to 17% in August 2024.

Similarly, satisfaction increased six percentage points in four years, with 66% satisfied or very satisfied with the magazine. Readers who said they were unsatisfied fell from 6% to 4%.

What can other towns learn from Bowdon and its meat processing cooperative?

“It gets back to the basics of the game, the baseball analogy: Too many are shooting for the grand slam when they could be really focusing on these types of base hits,” says Ellen Huber, rural development services director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC). “Big things get all the attention, but this is an important incremental small business step a community was known for and made sure they could continue to stake their claim.”