Posts Tagged ‘South Dakota’

Are cities healthier than rural communities?

September 9th, 2011

Can the report be true? Life in a city is healthier than life in a rural community? That’s the message, we hear from the County Health Rankings study conducted at the University of Wisconsin and reported on yesterday by CBS News.

(source:  "City counties ranked healthier than rural!"   CBS News, Sept. 8, 2011)

So what do you think?  Is your rural community as unhealthy as the headline suggests?  Are cities really healthier? If you are into boosterism (i.e. – my community is better than yours), you are probably thinking of ways to refute the study.  That where my mind first turned. Instead, I‘d recommend you consider the following:

First, take a look at the data for your county and use it to start a conversation in your community. The results of the County Health Rankings are reported on a county-by-county basis online.  When I went online, I discovered that Miner County, SD, where the Rural Learning Center is located, is ranked in the middle of the pack in South Dakota (28th of 54 counties).  More interesting, however, was seeing that Hamlin County, SD with similar demographics ranked #4.  Why are they doing so much better?  Looking closer at the data might facilitate an interesting conversation with your friends at the coffee shop tomorrow.

Second, ask “What can we do to improve the ranking in our community?” Although not universal, cities may have an advantage over their rural counterparts in that they often formulate public policies that encourage healthier lifestyles.  For instance, they make walking and bicycling easier for residents.  And they are concerned with helping residents gain access to healthy foods, rather than frozen meals and junk food.  Not only do these policies help produce healthier residents, but they also help create communities that are more attractive to prospective newcomers.

And finally, formulate a plan to make your community healthier.  I appreciate that the County Health Rankings website has a section dedicated to this subject.  Of particular note is the Guide to Funding, which every community leader is always concerned about.

Many rural communities have already initiated this process.  If you know of one, I hope you will share the ideas here.  Large or small, we can all benefit from making our communities healthier places to live.

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Posted in Community Design, Health Care, Quality of Life, Rural | Comments (2)

Yes, size does matter in community development

August 30th, 2011

What is your small town’s competitive advantage?  If you are uncertain, you need to listen to DeLon Mork’s commentary in the following video.  He believes that being small has its advantages. DeLon owns a Dairy Queen in Madison, SD (pop. 6474).  For the past six years running, his store has sold more Blizzards as a part of the Miracle Treat Day than any other Dairy Queen in North America.  (source: "Small Town Dairy Queen Smashes Blizzard Record,"  Daryn Kagen, DarynKagen.com, )  Although DeLon is talking about the competitive advantage of his business, the same holds true for small towns.  But being small doesn’t guarantee success.   It’s how you use this competitive advantage that matters most.  For DeLon that means building relationships.  He makes a concerted effort to get to know people in his community. Helping people in your small town is a great way to take advantage of your community’s small size.  But it’s probably not the only way. What’s happening in your small town?  How are you using your small size to your advantage?   Note:  Thanks to Linda Salmonson from the REED Fund for passing along this video.

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Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (0)

MarketPlace South Dakota: Growing Entrepreneurs

July 16th, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur or are thinking about starting a business, you should strongly consider attending the South Dakota MarketPlace 2011 on July 26 & 27 at the Huron (SD) Event Center.  Attendees will have an opportunity to: The event is being co-sponsored by the Center for Rural Affairs and the South Dakota Farmer’s Union.  The best way to learn about the event is at the CFRA’s website.   The early bird registration of $59 is ending on July 19th, after which time registration fees increase to $99.

Why attend?

Although this is the first year in South Dakota, the event is being patterned after successful MarketPlace events in both North Dakota and Nebraska.   If you are sitting on the fence wondering if you should attend, I would encourage you to consider the following statistics about past MarketPlace events that I found on the event’s promotional materials:  Statistics like this suggest the MarketPlace concept is succeeding at growing entrepreneurs in other states.  It’s great to see that it’s coming to South Dakota.    . Connect with MarketPlace South Dakota at:

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Posted in Rural, Training and Events | Comments (2)

Enterprise Facilitation: Another Strategy for supporting entrepreneurs

July 13th, 2011

I’ve advocated previously for economic gardening, as a key strategy for supporting entrepreneurs in rural communities.  Another strategy worth consideration is enterprise facilitation. Developed by Ernesto Sirroli, enterprise facilitation offers one-on-one support to business owners who are trying to start or build a business. Enterprise facilitation programs typically differ from economic gardening programs in a number of ways: I was reminded of enterprise facilitation while watching the video embedded below titled “Interview with Jeff Deiss - USDA Rural Development.”  Deiss is the Business & Cooperative Program Director for USDA Rural Development in Oregon, and he explains how they have helped launch several enterprise facilitation programs in rural Oregon.  It's great to USDA Rural Development engaged in supporting entrepreneurs in this way. (source: "Interview with Jeff Deiss - USDA Rural Development," Sirolli Institute, YouTube, Feb. 3, 2009) I’m aware of only one enterprise facilitation program in South Dakota.  Led by Nancy Larsen, the Southeast Enterprise Facilitation Project serves Turner and McCook Counties along with the town of Menno.  Nancy has a real passion for helping people. You can learn more about their program and some of the businesses they have helped on their website.  If your community is looking to support early stage businesses, you should look into enterprise facilitation.  It might be just what you need.

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Do we really need MORE jobs?

May 2nd, 2011

Note:  Kathy Callies is the Vice President for Advancement at the Rural Learning Center. There’s a lot of buzz across the country and across our state about the need to create jobs.  It’s common to see “number of new jobs created” language in press releases and to see business incentives wrapped around this idea of “we need more jobs!”

But do we really?

In the early days of community visioning and strategic planning meetings we had conversations about how to get more job opportunities here to attract people to our community.  At first we were caught up in the box of thinking about creating more jobs. Then a young working mom stopped to see me.  She put her elbows on my desk and said wearily but  with lots of honesty and real passion, “It makes me so MAD when I hear about creating more jobs!  We don’t need more jobs – I have three jobs right now.  What I need is one good job so I can do better by my kids.” What she shared has influenced my thinking and my work with rural places ever since.

More jobs or better jobs?

When I’m not here at the Rural Learning Center I love being home and there my duties include those of a farmer’s wife.  Recently my farmer asked me to attend the Cattlemen’s meeting with him.  Sid Goss from SDSM&T was going to be the speaker.  Since I’d met Sid before and since I knew he was a graduate of Carthage High School I said “yes.” Not only was the food great but so was the presentation.  Sid’s presentation included the demographics of the number of baby boomers who are about to retire within the next 10-15 years and the fact that there are not enough younger people to fill the jobs that will be left open!  (And we are focused on creating more jobs?)  He also emphasized the need to be intentional about training the workforce that will be needed – what I heard is “We need to plan for better jobs.” Both Sid and the young mom were talking about thinking  differently about jobs.

Summit on Poverty

I have been asked to participate in a panel at the South Dakota Summit on Children and Families in Poverty on May 5 and 6 in Ft. Pierre.  There I will be talking about the opportunity South Dakota has to prepare people for green jobs.  You can bet that I will be repeating what I’ve learned about jobs in South Dakota and how rural communities can be more intentional about their workforce.  How jobs are changing affects children and their families and in turn drives what we should be doing with regard to education, economic development, health care and in truth, every aspect of life in rural places. I’d love to create a different kind of buzz about jobs at the Summit.  If you have a message you’d like me to share, send me a comment.  I’ll try to pass it along.  Even better, I’d love to see you there in person;  it’s not too late to register.

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Poverty Reduction, Rural | Comments (0)

Are you talking up your small town school?

April 18th, 2011

Too often, small town schools are under attack.  Our politicians target their closure under the guise of efficiency, and the public-at-large often considers them inferior because of their small course offerings.  But thanks to research conducted by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, we now have evidence of the quality offered by small schools. In an article titled “Small schools rise up in grades,” reporter Josh Verdes offers data indicating that graduates of South Dakota’s small schools receive higher GPA’s as freshman at South Dakota’s public colleges than do students from larger schools.  In fact, four of the top five schools with at least 25 students at South Dakota’s public colleges are schools centered in towns of under 850 people.  (see list to the right). Verdes’s article is significant because it offers small town leaders an opportunity to market themselves more effectively.  If I were a community leader from Corsica, SD, I’d consider erecting a billboard stating, “Did you know our graduates average a 3.3 GPA in college? Your child could be one of them.”  (Actually, I hope the message would be more creative, but you get the point.)  I’d then share individual stories on a blog or website about the students who are succeeding in college.  My guess is that these stories would highlight how much the students benefited from participating in multiple extracurricular activities, and smaller class sizes. Parents care about the success of their children.  And small town leaders need to do a better job of connecting to that desire as they market their towns.  I know that the Rutland School District makes a concerted effort to market itself.  But otherwise, I’m not aware of rural schools and communities actively engaged in this practice.  I wonder why that is?  Small towns have a great product with our public schools.  Shouldn’t we do more to tell people about it?

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Quality of Life, Rural | Comments (0)

Tom Kilian: Rooted in Rural

February 28th, 2011

Jill Callison from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader recently learned something I discovered a decade ago.  If you sit down for a talk with Tom Kilian, you’d better be ready to be bowled over by “aha” moments.  The man’s accomplishments and wisdom are simply overwhelming. I’ll let you check out Callison’s article to discover Tom’s life accomplishments and influence on South Dakota.  But as you read, I’d invite you to look closely for what I think makes Tom special.  Built on a foundation of serving others, Tom is rooted in both South Dakota and his childhood home in Miner County, SD.

(source:  "Kilian gives up office, but not his desire to help," Argus Leader, Feb. 24, 2011)

 

Rooted in Place

Rural leaders often use the axiom “Our children are our greatest export” to highlight the negative aspects of youth outmigration.  But Tom offers an example of someone who left but still contributes. I first met Tom in the late 1990s while he was sharing stories with Howard High School students of his life growing up in Miner County.  The stories he told, such as how he would ride the train to school in Howard each day from Vilas, helped students understand and appreciate their roots in Miner County.  Tom has contributed to life in Miner County in many other ways:  He’s assisted people trying to start businesses, offered advice to community groups on numbers of projects, served on the Rural Learning Center Board of Directors, and much, much more. This is the behavior often expected of citizens of rural communities.  But Tom’s not a citizen of Miner County.  He’s lived most of his adult life in Sioux Falls, where he’s an active community member.  So what causes Tom to devote so much energy to his childhood home?

How do roots develop?

Young people have and always will leave our communities.  In fact, we want them to.  We want them to go off and acquire new experiences. We want them to stretch the boundaries of their education.  But we also want them to stay connected.  Sometimes that means returning to raise their families.  At other times, it means living elsewhere but still giving back in ways like Tom does.  When I think of Tom and his connection to Miner County, I think of him as being “rooted in place.”  Those roots took hold while growing up in Miner County. They’ve enabled him to lead an incredibly productive life outside of Miner County.  And they are the same roots that keep bringing him back. How we stem the tide of youth outmigration is worthy of discussion in rural places.  But a more important question for rural community leaders to ask might be, “How do we help our young people grow the roots that enable them to live a life filled with accomplishments (wherever that may be) AND remain connected to the place of their birth?”  It seems to me that rural communities are pretty good at the former.  And it is time that we get better at the latter.

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Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Local Foods: There is help

February 15th, 2011

There's a lot of economic opportunity for individuals in the local foods movement. Whether it's growing, producing, or baking food that is grown locally, the financial impact on individuals and communities is significant.  But getting started in the food industry can be scary.  Navigating through the rules and regulations of starting a food business may cause many to stop before they even start.  There is help, however. First, I'd recommend that you begin following Rebecca Terk's blog Big Stone Bounty.  Rebecca talks from experience.  She owns Flying Tomato Farms and was instrumental in establishing the Vermillion Farmers Market.  At Big Stone Bounty, she shares great tips for local food producers, as well as recipes and general food information.   Second, become engaged with Buy Fresh, Buy Local South Dakota.  They are a leading organization in the effort to grow the local foods industry in SD.  They are currently holding "fact finding" meetings across South Dakota.  For more information on these meetings, check out their website.  Third, participate in one of the three upcoming "Food to Market" Workshops being sponsored by the SD Cooperative Extension Service.  These one-day workshops are intended to help people learn about subjects such as: product testing, SD food safety standards, market feasibility, product promotion, direct sales, restaurant & institutional sales, social media, and connections with service providers.  Upcoming meetings include:   This is just a quick list of resources.  But hopefully, they help someone who is sitting on the fence, wondering if they should start their own local food business.    Photo credit:  Natallie Maynor - Flickr

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (2)

Got junk houses?

January 26th, 2011

Last week, I was a part of a team working on a housing project in a rural South Dakota community.  Community members in this town identified "junk housing" as an issue preventing housing development and the growth of their community. While driving around, we learned that their assessment had merit.  Sprinkled throughout town were small pockets where homes were boarded up, sitting empty, or poorly maintained.  I don't think the conditions we saw were worse than in many rural South Dakota towns, but community members were serious when they asked "What can we do about it?" My response was as follows:

First, get rid of homes that are beyond repair.  This starts with enforcing existing codes related to dilapidated homes.  The community was already on top of this issue.  The city had recently passed a Property Maintenance Code, and had initiated the process for dealing with housing violations.  It didn't sound like they were having fun with the process, and the effort was moving slowly.  If the process is, as it appears to be, then the next step is for the city to remain committed to the process.  Change won't happen overnight. 

Second, figure out a way to instill greater neighborhood pride in these troubled areas.  This might mean organizing Paint SD projects or focusing the annual clean-up specifically on those neighborhoods.  Another option might be the establishment of a neighborhood grant program that enables neighbors to band together to make neighborhood improvements.  Hopefully, these improvements inspire greater pride by all community members.

Third, look at the possibility of developing a rehab housing program.  This means building the capacity of a nonprofit to do the work and finding funding sources to subsidize the effort.  It would be nice if the private sector took care of the situation without public effort, but small town economics often work against it.  A good rehab program can go a long way to revitalizing older housing stock.

These ideas are by no means the only ideas that address the issue of blighted neighborhoods in small towns.  But I think they are a good start.  If you have some more ideas that have been tried in your community, I hope you will share them with us.  I'll be sure to pass them along.   Photo Credit:  Rutlo - Flickr

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (9)

Bicycling: What does it mean for rural communities?

January 5th, 2011

If you've driven down a South Dakota highway in the summer, you've undoubtedly seen a periodic bicycle rider or two, loaded with gear, peddling into the wind.   If you are like my wife, you think "those people are those crazy."  If you are like me you think, "What an awesome adventure.  Those riders are off the beaten path on vacation, enjoying the beauty of the plains and the people that inhabit it."  I think Jessica Giard, editor of the Chamberlain Sun and South Dakota Bicycling Coalition board member, sees something similar.  She recently sent me an e-mail announcing the South Dakota Bicycle Summit in Pierre on January 21 & 22.  In her message, Jessica assured me that the Summit isn't "only for people who commute by bike or wear spandex."  She sees it as an opportunity for rural community leaders who are looking to stimulate their local economies.  I think she's onto something. Anyone who doubts the impact bicycling can have on a rural community needs to check out the Tour de Kota.  Many of the businesses in rural communities along the Tour's route see a significant uptick in sales as a result of the bicyclists.  Jessica tells me that the Argus Leader has reported that the Tour has had an economic impact of over $3.1 million in the event's 6 year history.  I'd imagine many of these dollars flow through rural businesses.  But I think the greatest potential impact for the Tour is that it brings people out of urban areas and into the countryside to see what small towns have to offer.   I've talked to many participants who rave about the hospitality they receive in these towns.   The riders leave realizing there is more happening in rural communities than they realized.  

Back to the Summit

Jessica tells me one of the Summit's speakers is an expert on the economic impact of bicycling and will lead a workshop on how communities can attract bicycle travelers. In reviewing the agenda, I see there is another session on creating bike trails.  Both sessions are enough reason to attend the Summit.  But what intrigues me the most is that the SD Bicycle Coalition, the event's sponsor, hopes to develop a map that draws more riders to the region.  Unfortunately, I already have plans for the weekend of the Summit, so I can't attend.  But Jessica's message did prompt me to join the Coalition with a $25 membership.  I appreciate organizations that have a vision for the future that includes rural communities.  They deserve our support.  I look forward to hearing more about the Summit and any plans for biking in rural communities.  Who knows, maybe the little birdie that I put in Jessica's ear is chirping loud enough that she'll contribute something for our readers here at ReImagine Rural. Photo Credit:  Vicapproved - Flickr

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (2)

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