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Native Species - Opportunities for the Northern Great Plains
2007-11-04
Agriculture as a significant economic sector on the northern Great Plains—and the businesses and communities it helps sustain—is at a crossroads. A variety of factors—increasing global competition in bulk commodities; growing consumer fears about food safety; increasing concerns in suburban areas about the environmental impacts of agriculture practices on wildlife health and water quality; growing interest among consumers in natural products; and, certainly, the impact of continued low commodity prices while input costs increase—all combine to create a complex and challenging future for northern Great Plains agriculture. In response, a growing number of regional producers are developing multiple sources of income to maintain their agricultural base and link production strategies with survival of the Region’s businesses and communities.
Many strategies for action are being explored and suggested. Some, like the producer alliance and new generation cooperative movements, are helping producers gain higher value for the commodities they currently raise or are linking producers more closely with consumer and processor needs. Consumer demands for natural foods continue to increase and producers are responding. Another strategy, bringing traceability to the food system, has moved from being viewed as a longterm process to becoming a key element of safety in the food system. Interest in production of crops for energy—including ethanol, biodiesel, or biomass for electricity production—is gaining ground each day.
