The Northern Great Plains

     The Northern U.S. Great Plains region is often defined as North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.  This area, which has sometimes been referred to as the breadbasket of North America, is the most farming-dependent region in the United States.  Sixty-two percent of the non-metro counties in the Northern Great Plains states are farming-dependent, compared to only 24 percent of all non-metro counties nationwide. A county that is farming-dependent derives at least 20 percent of its labor and proprietor income from farming (Northern Great Plains Rural Development Commission). 

     The Northern Great Plains states share a history of farming and ranching that has evolved over the years.  As the business of farming has changed, so has the rural infrastructure of these states: the number of farms has decreased, the size of farms has increased, and the rural population has declined.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that 40 percent of counties found in Great Plains states have seen a continuous decline in population over the past 40 years (Rowley).  The Great Plains has lagged behind other U.S. regions in population growth for over five decades, and many attribute this to the region's dependence on agriculture.  One of the main reasons for the Great Plains outmigration has been a lack of job opportunities in the region, especially in farm-dependent counties (Rathge and Highman).  As the farming population has declined, the demand for services in rural communities has also declined.  As a result, many small towns that were formed years ago to serve the rural population have deteriorated, and many young adults leave to find better economic opportunities elsewhere. As for the farming population, many young people are not choosing agricultural production as a career because of a lack of perceived opportunities. The average farmer age has been increasing, and a greater proportion of agricultural production is now being done by farmers who are at or above a typical retirement age (Sonka).  Cooperative development was one of the approaches used in North Dakota and Minnesota to try and stimulate rural economic activity.

      The Northern Great Plains states have a strong history of cooperative activity. In the early 1900s, many farmers were beginning to feel that they were being taken advantage of by grain companies and railroads.  They began to form cooperatives so that they could market their products themselves and increase their income.  Many cooperatives were formed in the 1920s (Aksamit).  Today, North Dakota and Minnesota rank among the four leading states having the highest number of agricultural cooperatives; along with Iowa and Texas, these four states accounted for almost 31 percent of the total number of farmer cooperatives in the U.S. in 1997 (Richardson).

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