Economic Sustainability
Multipurpose Room at Warren Alvarado Oslo School
10:45am Breakout Session
Moderator: Tim Sigle (United Valley Bank)
Panel Members: Sue Balcom (FARRMS), Dan Juhl (Juhl Energy), Dan Labat (MN USDA
Rural Development), and Chuck Crummy (Solargy Lights)
Start at 10:47am
Panel discussion
Tim introduces himself – moderator
- Economic sustainability: theme of discussion
- Impact on region
- Tim gives his background – Lived in the region for many years (NW MN and
E ND) – involved in community
- Grasp concept of smaller communities
- Supervising in banks – economic
o Make life better for the communities the bank is in – 6 total banks
o Located out of Cavalier, ND
- Developing leadership within the communities
- ‘If we lose main street, we lose our town’
o Keep money within the communities in which they live
- Quality of life
Purpose of the forum: help communities and campus representatives learn from each
other while addressing community issues and making connections for future
collaborations and networking
Chuck Crummy introduction (by Tim) and introduces himself
- Project planner at work force development
- From Argyle, MN
- Family store – not a money maker, but important for the community
- Has worked at UND
- Background with working at a power company
- Supporter of coal industry
- Ways in which to use renewable energy – especially in rural areas
o Solar and wind energy powered lights for rural communities where it
is not feasible to have lines
Dan Juhl introduction (by Tim) and introduces himself
- Renewable energy
- Works with legislature to incorporate renewable energy
- Leading expert in solar and wind energy
-
How Europeans developed their renewable energy – allowed the citizens to
own the energy
Developing community-based wind farms
o Money and power stays within the community
Back-up power and keep power costs down – provide power to the grid
Solar/wind hybrid – either windy or sunny – able to be completely off the grid
Cost of energy – lose power constantly when going through traditional
channels
Sue Balcom introduction (by Tim) and introduces herself
- Food specialist
- Local food sustainability
- Cost of things nowadays
- Population removed from cooking/gardening
- Kill a community – close its grocery store
o Grocery stores can’t directly buy from farms – federally regulated
o Food has to be shipped out of state to be brought into the state
- Example of oil refinery – oil shipped to Texas to be brought back to ND
- Back to the land movements
o Small family farms
o Diversified farms – multiple foods
o Off the grid farms
- Working to allow grocery stores to buy directly from farmers
- Edible food sources (farmers can grow farm to store food sources without
having a middleman)
- Healthy eating/living
o Hidden costs in energy and food that we pay for
- FAARMS offer education for farms and line of credit if they have sustainable
sources on the farms
- Soil health
Dan Labat introduction (by Tim) and introduces himself
- USDA rural development
- Mission statement: increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of
life for rural areas
- Financial sustainability – fiscal accountability
- Infrastructure sustainability for the communities that they are in
o Community facilities
o Farmer markets
- REAP – Renewable Energy for America Program
o Mainly for rural business
o Funding/loans for the businesses
o Geothermal energy projects
- Partnerships with lenders (intermediaries) – economic development
- Website (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov) for more information and booth
Discussion opened to audience
- Economic development in Warren (audience member)
o New health facility
 USDA loan for the facility
 Community making an investment in the community first, then
USADA loan – Dan L.
 Boost in community – enthusiasm in the community
o USDA loan in the inter-library program in Warren
o Assisted living coming soon (no government loan)
- Wind energies (some) (Chuck)
o Govenment subsides
- Use energy more wisely from the power plants
o Sometimes traditional energy sources aren’t an option
- Storage of renewable energy
- Advancement in technology for renewable energies
o Storage is key – battery and thermal storage
o Electric cars – cheaper than cost of fuel
o Not demonizing traditional sources (Dan J.) – just better technologies
coming out for the future
- Conversion of coal plants to natural gas plants – burning through energy
sources quickly – not sustainable
o Oil patch – not looking to the future – the supply will end
- More complex of a situation than we realize – simplified by people in order to
be better understood (audience member)
o Oil use – structure already in place
o Mainstreaming other sources goes against the structure
o Agree to disagree – able to discuss what will work in a certain
situation
o Accelerated place moving to new source – but reasonable to not make
mandates for energy sources
- Community coming together to help one another
o Story of the son of a minister during the depression
o Brain-drain in small communities
o Synergy that can make communities grow and sustain them
 Loss of school and grocery store – the fight to sustain the
community is over
- Community development (Dr. Rakow)
o Community resources not coming together
o Incorporate resources into the sustainability of the community
 Who is helping the communities do the planning for
sustainability
o Dan L. – U of M extension is working on a model
- Horizon communities – community model
o Working together on a local level to engage the next generation
- Green, Kansas (audience member)
o Re-conceptualized their community after a tornado
-
-
o Rebuilt the community and infrastructure – made it green
Community – one voice concept (audience member)
o Not entirely representative of all the community
o Including the public
o Civic engagement
o Youth has to have a voice in the community decisions
Center for Community Engagement - UND
o Capture the stories of the communities
o Opportunity to showcase
MN – Farm to school programs
o Common misconception that you can’t eat food from the farms
o ND you can buy food from farmers
 Food safety – training in food preparation & education of
buyers
o Food and bust cycle
End at 11:59am