In the News

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Minnesota Colleen Landkamer announced more than $825 million in clean energy investments through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. Rural electric cooperatives and communities will use the funding to support thousands of...Continue Reading

The first phase of the Black Desert Resort near Zion National Park in Ivins, Utah, had a soft opening in October. This development phase of the 630-acre property features a resort hotel, spa, golf course, roughly 1,000 condos, and 190,000 square feet of commercial space, including shops and restaurants.The sustainability-minded...Continue Reading

There’s been a chant building across the energy sector the last several months, “build, baby, build.”With the historic approval of a record-setting portfolio of transmission lines last month, the Midwest is poised to do just that: build the critical grid infrastructure needed to support continued economic growth.The Midwestern grid operator...Continue Reading

The U.S. frozen food market size was estimated at USD 83.50 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2025 to 2030. The rise in dual-income households and busier lifestyles in the U.S. has fueled the demand for frozen, ready-to-eat, and ready-to-cook meals, making...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded more than $4.37 million in grants to four infrastructure projects in Greater Minnesota. The funding, awarded from DEED's Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program (BDPI) and Innovative Business Development Public Infrastructure Program (IBDPI), is expected to support...Continue Reading

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Dec. 23 unveiled a new program to support American wood processing facilities. USDA Rural Development is partnering with USDA Forest Service to provide funding through the new Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP). The program will support the processing and utilization...Continue Reading

The hum of machinery could be heard as semi-trucks continuously rolled in and out of the Heartland Corn Products ethanol plant site Wednesday.Heartland Corn Products (HCP) of Winthrop was recently awarded a $1 million rural Minnesota Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) federal clean energy grant.Ethanol plant CEO/General Manager Tom...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture wants to build a green fertilizer industry in the state.Officials believe a grant program will encourage agricultural cooperatives and rural electric cooperatives to get into the fertilizer business.“It's brand new to the state, and it is actually the first of its kind in the nation,”...Continue Reading

On Dec. 11, Great River Energy held a ribbon cutting for the expansion of its St. James Service Center. Great River Energy employees, City of St. James officials, and the EDA were all in attendance. Heather Reinhart, Great River Energy Communications Specialist with Great River Energy, recently celebrated the expansion of...Continue Reading

Tucked in the rolling hills of farmland outside Brooten, about an hour from St. Cloud, the cheese store and distillery Redhead Creamery is hard at work preparing holiday gifts in its newly expanded space.The family-owned business is offering several special items for the holidays, including its “12 Days of Cheesemas”...Continue Reading

A harvesting equipment manufacturer is preparing a $3.9 million addition to its facility in the St. Cloud Airport Business Park.Geringhoff was issued a building permit from the city of St. Cloud totaling $3.92 million for a 40,500-square-foot single-story addition to the existing building. The project, spearheaded by Bradley Stramm Construction,...Continue Reading

Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Commissioner Thom Petersen has announced the launch of the Green Fertilizer Grant Program. The announcement was made at the Green Ammonia Summit in Morris, Minnesota, US.The Green Fertilizer Grant will support agricultural and rural electric cooperatives registered as 308A or 308B with the state of...Continue Reading

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing $6.3 billion in rural and Tribal communities across 44 states to expand access to a clean and reliable electric grid, provide safe drinking water and create good-paying jobs.“The Biden-Harris Administration invests in rural America, because we...Continue Reading

A farm site marketed by Faribault officials for new development is poised to be the future home of a 500,000-square-foot data center in the city.Archer Datacenters SPE2 LLC of Chappaqua, New York, paid $4.5 million for the 87.6-acre property at 15339 Acorn Trail, which is just south of 150th Street...Continue Reading

A farm site marketed by Faribault officials for new development is poised to be the future home of a 500,000-square-foot data center in the city.Archer Datacenters SPE2 LLC of Chappaqua, New York, paid $4.5 million for the 87.6-acre property at 15339 Acorn Trail, which is just south of 150th Street...Continue Reading

In recent years, the need to train meat cutters and butchers has increased across the nation. Despite already having a robust butchery program, Central Lakes College (CLC) is taking further action to address this demand. The college’s campus in Staples recently held a grand opening for their new, state-of-the-art modular...Continue Reading

A regional financial institution is stepping up to the plate with a one-of-a-kind program to assist child care providers with a one-of-a-kind program.Gate City Bank in Fergus Falls encourages child care providers and daycare centers to apply for the BetterLife Child Care Business Loan in a $5 million dollar…Click here...Continue Reading

The Itasca-Mantrap Electric Cooperative Board of Directors hired Steven Johnson as its new president and chief executive officer.Johnson begins Dec. 2, replacing Christine Fox, who is retiring after 10 years with the cooperative.According to a news release, Johnson has been in the electric cooperative industry for over 25 years having...Continue Reading

A lending and technical support program for area indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses was announced recently by Duluth-based Northspan, a non-profit consulting firm.Northspan’s program, Driving Access to Wealth Networks (DAWN), will now provide support for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and is accepting applications from members and first descendants...Continue Reading

Industrial automation and robotics offer huge benefits to manufacturing and warehouse distribution and fulfilment operations. This is not a new concept; articles going back decades have explained how these applications can improve quality and consistency, optimize productivity and throughput, increase worker safety, and reduce direct labor cost.The topic has gained...Continue Reading

These days, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is about a lot more than just imploring folks to tell their Grand Casino stories. Just ask the guy who came up with that prompt in the first place.“We’re more than a casino now,” says Joseph Nayquonabe Jr., the 42-year-old CEO of...Continue Reading

Minnesota’s clean energy workforce has finally recovered from a decline during the COVID pandemic and stands larger than ever.Clean Energy Economy Minnesota (CEEM) recently released annual jobs report contains encouraging signs of an economic recovery. The state had 62,102 clean energy jobs in 2023, the highest total ever recorded, and...Continue Reading

Governor Tim Walz today announced that WalletHub has ranked Minnesota a top-three state for finding a job. This announcement follows Wednesday's news that Solventum, a global health care company, will make a $200 million investment in Minnesota. WalletHub's scorecard used 34 indicators of job market strength and economic health. Minnesota...Continue Reading