North Dakota Living

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.

The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives presented six awards during its annual meeting Feb. 11, recognizing individuals for their generous contributions to the state’s electric cooperatives and communities they serve. Honorees included:

• Bob Grant – Cooperative Leadership, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative

• Lauren Klewin – Cooperative Leadership, Slope Electric Cooperative

• Erin Oban – Helping Hand, former USDA Rural Development state director and state senator

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

During his second trip to North Dakota in two months, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden announced a $200,000 grant award to the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) rural development center. The funding, provided through the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program, will be used by the center to provide technical assistance to cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural North Dakota.