Dakota Beacon

HERE’S A RUNDOWN of coronavirus cases in ND and the region this week — patterns begin to emerge:

• SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. KRISTI NOEM initially declared her state would not issue an order to stay at home during the pandemic.  She said her state respected individual liberty and "The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety.  They are the ones that are entrusted with expansive freedoms."  Early on, she seemed to be winning that bet — the state had a relatively low level of coronavirus cases.  That was before a health crisis exploded at Smithfield Foods (see below) in Sioux Falls and became the biggest single-source of cases in the nation.  Noem was forced to declare a Public Health Emergency for Minnehaha County, home to the majority of Sioux Falls residents.

• SMITHFIELD FOODS is the largest industrial employer in Sioux Falls with 3,700 employees and, like most meat packing plants, the majority of the employees are immigrants and refugees.  Smithfield produces nearly five percent of the nation’s pork, sourced from over 500 farms in a tri-state area.  As of yesterday, SD had 1,311 coronavirus cases and 733 (56%) of those cases were linked to Smithfield.  After urging by the governor, Smithfield closed its plant indefinitely and promised two weeks pay to furloughed workers.

• RUNAWAY CASES in Sioux Falls have caused per capita cases in SD to triple any other state in the region.  Minnehaha County alone has over 2-1/2 times the total number of cases in ND.  The remainder of SD appears relatively stable.  

• MINNESOTA has one of the lowest per capita case rates in the nation.  MN seems to be contemplating a staged reopening.  Gov. Walz said, “This is going to be a hard lift. Those that keep asking what's the plan to re-open, the plan to reopen is very clear: test, trace, isolate."

• CASS COUNTY (Fargo) was a slow starter, but has since entered the fast lane with 39% of ND’s 393 cases and more than double the number of any other county in the state.  Cass County has about 25% of the state’s residents.

• MOUNTRAIL COUNTY, which includes the populous part of the Ft. Berthold Reservation, has emerged as a mini hot spot for the coronavirus in ND.  The state has organized extensive testing there to identify and isolate positive cases.

• GALLATIN COUNTY (Bozeman and Montana State) is a hot spot with 141 of Montana’s 415 cases.  The state has an overall low level of cases per capita.

GOV GETS HIGH GRADES  Forum columnist Jack Zaleski is not known for heaping praise on public officials, particularly Republicans.  Yet, he praised Gov. Doug Burgum for demonstrating “extraordinary leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.”  Zaleski said, “His (Burgum’s) measured response to the plague and genuine empathy he demonstrates in his daily news briefing inspire confidence.”

DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, director of the Center for Infectious Disease at the U. of Minnesota, said “the belief that fighting the virus is an either/or choice — that to slow the spread of the virus means we must destroy our economy — is false.”  He says we can move things back toward normal while suppressing the disease.

PROSPERITY AND POPULATION in ND during the last decade were the subject of a Forum article by Patrick Springer.  The bottom line is the 2020 census will define a ND which is greatly different from 2010.  ND’s economy led all states in the current decade and it had one of the nation’s fastest growing populations, but those gains are unevenly spread around the state.  The Forum found three distinct NDs during the decade:

• THE FOUR URBAN CENTERS in Bismarck-Mandan (two counties), Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot had the bulk of population growth and had GDP growth over 50%.

• NINE OIL PATCH COUNTIES had a collective GDP that doubled, large percentage increases in population and the state’s highest personal income.

• THE REST OF ND — 39 counties that together lost population, had the oldest residents and the weakest GDP and personal income growth.  These counties were left on the sideline.  Barnes County (Valley City) was given as an example of how these counties struggled, enjoyed some successes, but ended up with population declines.

BRANDON BOCHENSKI is not a household name — he is a former pro hockey player and a candidate for mayor in Grand Forks.  He sees GF as a laggard that has gone sidewise for a number of years and fallen behind the state’s other larger cities.  His platform emphasizes lower taxes, smaller government and the need to encourage the private sector to lead a growing economy.

EVEN THE MIGHTY ADJUST  Facing a $3 billion loss, Mayo Clinic will cut the salaries of two-thirds of its 70,000 employees at major campuses in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona.

WHO KNEW?  Native people have called the imagery racist, and that it goes “hand-in-hand with human and sex trafficking of our women and girls.… by depicting Native women as sex objects.” — ND Rep. Ruth Buffalo of Fargo reacting to a decision by Land O’Lakes to remove the image of a Native American maiden from its packaging.  Land O’Lakes has used the image since 1928.  The maiden will be replaced by images of farmers who are the company’s members and suppliers.

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES of Minnesota has a $162 million annual budget.  Jodi Harpstead, former CEO, became head of the Minnesota Dept. of Human Services last fall.  LSS provides services ranging from mental health counseling to immigration services.  It is also generous to its own, Harpstead earned $337,000 in annual compensation.

DAKTOIDS:  ND cropland values and cash rents have been flat for over five years.  The state average value for farmland is around $2,000 an acre . . . ND, SD and MT have broadband coverage close to the national average of 77% — MN is 80% . . . Companies have shut 4,600 wells in ND this year accounting for 260,000 barrels per day of oil.