Dakota Beacon

"THE WORLD ENVIES US” -- A staff member of the Grand Forks-based UAS Magazine discussing the role of UND and Grand Forks in the world of unmanned aircraft systems. The occasion was a conference in GF on the use of UASs in agriculture. UND was hailed as a national leader in UAS research and education. John Nowatzki, an ag machine systems specialist with NDSU, predicted, “Over time, individual farmers increasingly will use UAVs for crop scouting, yield prediction and in-season fertilization, while crop and livestock consultants will use them to increase business efficiency.”

WE’RE BIGGER THAN WE LOOK “Fargo residents prove more affluent, younger, and more highly educated than residents of the comparable markets (Grand Forks, Sioux Falls, Cedar Rapids)” -- An argument used by consultants to conclude that, while Fargo’s population is on the small side, the actual market for performances may be bigger. The consultants recommend turning the Fargo Civic Center into a performance hall.

LUXURY HOMES About a decade ago, residences with a valuation over $1 million in ND were few or none. Million dollar residences began to appear in Fargo and Cass County, and today are not rare. Recently, Grand Forks had three houses listed around a million dollars. The 7,000-square-foot home of UND’s departing hockey coach Dave Hakstol was listed for $1.3 million. The GF Herald said, “A variety of people look into buying luxury homes, from business owners and doctors to UND employees and farmers moving into town.”

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF “The plan anticipates a population growth of approximately 7,000 people between now and 2040. To accommodate this growth, the city will need to add at least 800 acres of residential housing, 170 acres of commercial land and 290 acres of industrial development.” -- The Jamestown Sun’s description of a Land Use and Transportation Plan adopted by the Jamestown Planning Commission. The 7,000 population growth represents about a 50 percent increase over Jamestown’s present population of 15,000 -- a level which has been static for decades.

ND OIL COUNTRY has largely been a story of shortages: roads, housing, public facilities, etc., but is entering a phase where excesses are also being spotted. Killdeer was flush with optimism as it planned and built a $3.2 million multi-purpose facility -- Dunn County chipped in $1.4 million. The facility, modestly named the High Plains Cultural Center, opened with fanfare in December. Now, in June, it’s broke. The center owes $1 million and operating costs hopelessly outstrip revenues. The county is shaking its head and saying we have “met our limit.” It’s the familiar story of municipal enthusiasm for bricks and mortar without any plan to fund operations.

WATFORD CITY in McKenzie County is trying to solve a different dilemma. At some point they want to shut down man camps and rely on an expanding supply of new apartments and houses. A Bismarck Tribune editorial acknowledged the difficulty of the problem and added: “Equally as important as the housing transition strategies community leaders must presently consider will be the eventual need to contend with what someday could be an oversupply of housing in western North Dakota.”

RON OFFUTT is a Red River Valley entrepreneurial legend -- the business school at Concordia College bears his name. He is the largest single potato producer in the world with an operation that involves 60,000 acres of irrigated potatoes in seven states. R.D. Offutt, the potato company, and a sister company, RDO Equipment, have revenues of about $3 billion and are headquartered in downtown Fargo. Offutt contends his ag business is environmentally responsible, yet his efforts to develop new potato land in Minnesota have been stiffly challenged by the Department of Natural Resources.

MINNESOTA SHOWDOWN Offutt has many defenders including some who are Minnesota legislators. The DNR backed off. Commissioner Tom Landwehr says “he regrets that publicity surrounding the case might have implied the Offutt organization is not a good steward of the land.” Offutt says the episode has changed his attitude about investing in any new farming projects in Minnesota. "I would say that the least amount of expansion in the state of Minnesota is the best for our company."

HOW TO MAKE THINGS WORSE “Some tribes greatly struggle with vices, and especially corruption, booze and gambling. So consider what could happen by adding marijuana to the mix of a reservation's potential evils.” -- GF Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel commenting on the report that South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation is considering legalization of marijuana. British research shows that teens who smoke marijuana daily are 60 percent less likely to complete high school or graduate from college than those who never use. They are also seven times more likely to attempt suicide. Kenzel noted that among the most notable social problems on reservations are educational results and suicide.

GERMANS FROM RUSSIA "So we won't lose Lawrence Welk in the story, but we will be giving more attention to the German-Russian culture and the agricultural story, which are both important stories and aren't addressed at any of our other (56 historic) sites." -- ND Historical Society Director Claudia Berg explaining how the society will use the boyhood home of Lawrence Welk near Strasburg. Welk, who died in 1992 at age 89, was born in the house in 1903 and left the family farm at age 21 to pursue a music career that saw him rise to host of "The Lawrence Welk Show," which aired on ABC from 1955 until 1971 and later ran in syndication.

AND SHE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE “She loved playing cards games, reading and listening to music, especially Lawrence Welk.” -- From the obituary of Louise Garman (103) of Carrington.

THE FEDGAZETTE reports Minnesota’s charitable foundations dwarf those in neighboring states in both size and giving. Minnesota foundations have greater assets and make more grants than those in the Dakotas, Montana and Wisconsin combined. ND has the fewest foundations per capita of the five states and its foundations have the smallest average size.