The number of small commodity livestock slaughter plants in the Upper Northern Plains region continues to decline. Significant factors contributing to this decline include: 1) pressure to consolidate, thereby capturing economies of scale; 2) relatively stringent federal inspection specifications,...

Cooperatives are an important form of business organization in North Dakota; 405 cooperatives were operating in the state in 2004, with most (224) related to agriculture (farm supply, agricultural processing, and grain handling). In addition, 33 utility, 66 financial, and 82 cooperatives...

Policies affecting the use of public lands can have direct consequences for industries that rely on outputs from those lands. In recent years, environmental concerns have prompted a revisiting of the policies governing the use of those lands. Subsequently, alternative policies have been proposed...