GOAL 5: ENHANCED ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AMERICANS

Program 13: Value-Added Agriculture

Statement of Issues

Agriculture remains North Dakota's largest industry, but declining commodity prices and increasing costs are eroding profits for many producers. Adding value to the crops and livestock produced in the state has been recognized for more than a decade as a strategy to reverse the trend of declining profits. However, understanding what consumers want and determining how to profitably produce these products requires continual development and dissemination of new information. Such information has been and will continue to be developed at land-grant institutions, such as North Dakota State University.

Generally, value is added through expanded processing (e.g., quick-cooking pasta from durum or frozen dough products from cereal grains), development of additional processed products (e.g., nutraceuticals from oilseeds or extraction of valuable compounds), production and processing of alternative crops and livestock (e.g., bast fiber, livestock finishing, meat product development or bison), or modification of current agricultural commodities for improving food, non-food, and nutritional properties to enhance value.

Researchers and extension specialists at NDSU have been involved in value-added projects for many years. A few of these projects include: 1) development of non-traditional pastas using other agricultural products such as flaxseed, edible legumes, and buckwheat, 2) development of fractionation processes designed to concentrate nutraceutical compounds from oilseeds, 3) production of mushrooms on various agriculture residues from northern grown crops, 4) production of Asian noodles using traditional and experimental wheat varieties, 5) development of sensory evaluation methods to assess raw and processed products such as flaxseed oil, soymilk and non-traditional pasta and 6) increase nutraceuticals such selenium content in read meat. Results of these efforts offer producers and businesses an opportunity to enhance the revenue of the state's agriculture industry.

Accordingly, the primary goal of value-added activities at NDSU is to continue our research efforts so that information regarding additional and alternative uses for products can be presented to producers and businesses. A second goal is to conduct risk assessments of new processes and crops in terms of food safety. The final goal is to help businesses and producers increase the level of income generated by North Dakota agriculture and to improve employment opportunities in the state. A challenge will be to assist businesses in a way that assures the extra revenue will be realized by the region's producers and businesses.

Performance Goals

Output Indicators

The major output of NDSU's value-added projects will be information in various forms. The output may be a novel processing technique, an alternative application of existing processing technology, or the development of food products to improve an existing product.

Educational materials and training-programs to assist businesses and producers interested in adding a value-added component to their business.

Satisfactory feedback from producers and business persons involved with NDSU programs.

Outcome Indicators

New, successful value-added businesses and increased employment.

The number of businesses that have adopted an innovative production/processing technology, food safety programs, or are using improved management and marketing strategies.

Value-added technologies and educational materials developed by the researchers and specialists.

Key Program Components

Value-added projects at NDSU during the next five years (2005-2009) will follow three themes: 1) basic research to explore the technical feasibility of alternative value-added strategies, 2) food safety risk assessment of current versus new technologies and products, and 3) outreach activities to assist firms with commercially feasible ideas based on market assessments. Ideas for the above themes will arise from interactions among researchers, specialists, and business people.

Research will focus on the technical feasibility of value-added opportunities. An emphasis will be on basic research which addresses issues such as 1) processing and/or economic components of agricultural products grown, raised or indigenous to the region; 2) processing of northern grown crops by extraction of valuable compounds or fractionation into valuable compounds; and 3) developing or improving existing technologies or processes. Examples of projects that would fall under the above areas of emphasis include a) utilization of chickpea in food products such as breads, hummus & leblebi, and pasta, b) characterization of processing parameters for manufacturing non-traditional pasta (e.g., low carb), c) application of flaxseed, buckwheat and soy nutraceuticals in functional foods, d) extraction and characterization of novel food additives from northern grown commodities such as flaxseed, e) to characterize the processing parameters and quality outcomes of tortillas, develop livestock feeding and finishing strategies, and new product development and marketing opportunities, and g) characterize potential food safety risks associated with non-traditional food items.

Another key component will be close and ongoing working relationships with businesses and producers who are interested in pursuing value-added opportunities. These relationships may involve economic feasibility assessments, market analysis, business development, and management and marketing skills training.

Internal and External Linkages

Disciplines involved in NDSU value-added activities include Cereal and Food Sciences, Food Safety, Horticulture, Plant Sciences, Animal and Range Sciences, Nutrition, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and Microbiological Sciences. These researchers and specialists involved in value-added efforts are located at the Experiment Station on the NDSU campus, at Research Extension Centers, Extension offices, and Northern Crops Institute. Other NDSU entities that may be involved in value-added efforts include the College of Business, Department of Industrial Engineering, Institute for Business and Industry Development, and the Value-added Processing Center.

Likewise, NDSU faculty and specialists will collaborate and include staff at AURI (Minnesota), University of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska, Saskatchewan (POS Pilot Plant), and others. An important component of these efforts will be the interaction among businesses that are interested in adding value to North Dakota agriculture products and the researchers and specialists.

Target Audiences

Target audiences for NDSU's value-added efforts include producers and businesses interested in enhancing the value of North Dakota agricultural commodities. Many of these businesses will be located in the state or region; however, some may be located in other regions of the nation but have an interest in using North Dakota agricultural commodities.

Program Duration

This program will continue for the five-year life of the plan plus the two year extension.

Education and Outreach Programs

The extension program is closely meshed with the research program. One specialist leading the extension education effort also carries a research appointment and works closely with other researchers in the value-added area. All researchers and extension staff work closely with producers and industry.

Program 14: Rural Economic Development

Statement of Issues
The Great Plains is a vulnerable region in the United States because of its historical dependence on agriculture and its relatively sparse population base. Rural areas have historically been impacted by factors such as the railroad, the Homestead Act, Rural Electrification, the interstate highway system, and numerous changes in farm legislation. In the 21st century, shaping forces will include information technology, agricultural technology, changes in federal policies, and international trade policy. Major changes in the rural landscape are causing great stress as well as creating new opportunities. A growing body of research suggests that the major contributing factors to the continuing decline among rural counties is their inability to adapt to the changes taking place.

Economic development has been a concern for North Dakota policymakers since the economic downturn of the early 1980s. Adverse economic trends in agriculture and the energy sector during the 1980s reverberated through the state's economy. Retail sales, adjusted for inflation, fell almost 20 percent from 1980 to 1988 and still have not regained their 1980 level. Declining sales in many sectors translated into decreased employment, particularly in the state's rural areas. From 1980 to 1992, all but five North Dakota counties experienced decreases in employment.

Local leaders also understand that they must adapt to the many changes taking place and involve citizens as equal partners in decision making and action. They must focus more effort on broadening the base of participation to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of their communities. They must embrace multi-jurisdictional, as well as public/private partnerships, to gain efficiencies of size. These leaders want and need technical assistance and training to strengthen their own skills and knowledge so they can be effective in this changing environment.

Performance Goals

Output Indicators

• Survey's will be conducted to determine factors that are important in influencing location decisions and the economic contribution of firms of different types.
• Additional information will be determined to address questions such as identifying the factors that tend to be associated with rapid employment growth.
• Existing resources in community and economic development will be inventoried and posted, and an assessment of existing community and county plans will be inventoried. The usage of these materials will be noted.
• The North Dakota Input-Output Model will be used to assess the secondary impacts of various types of firms (based on type of product or service, size of firm, and other characteristics).

Outcome Indicators

• The development and implementation of economic development plans by rural communities.
• The success rates of local decision makers in obtaining funding for economic development efforts.
• The ability of certain rural communities to reverse the existing trend and stabilize or expand their economic and population base.

Key Program Components
A key program objective is to have all North Dakota communities develop a strategic action plan within five years. All communities will have an active local steering committee to implement the plan. Rural decision makers will have the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to successfully apply for and receive project funding. Community groups will have the tools and expertise needed to implement successful community projects. Extension agents will strengthen their relationship with municipal and county officials. The BUILD community development program will be revised, completed, and used as the base for the program, if possible.

The results of the analysis of the economic effects of migration will offer insights regarding policy development Analysis of the development of new value-added processing plants in rural areas of the state will result in information to assess the economic, demographic, and public service effects of construction and operation of new processing plants.

Research will examine the socioeconomic effects of plant and mine closures and downsizings on rural communities in North Dakota and Minnesota. Case studies of four or five communities that have been affected by facility closure/downsizing will be undertaken. In addition to analyzing secondary data from federal and state sources, the researchers will conduct interviews with community leaders and a survey of a cross-section of residents in each community.

Another research effort to be undertaken will focus on the socioeconomic impacts of new agricultural processing facilities. Four to six new agricultural processing plants (developed in the 1990s) will be studied. Secondary data for the site counties and communities will be supplemented with information obtained from interviews with company officials and community leaders and from a survey of community residents.

Another effort is to identify and evaluate opportunities for increasing income and employment of North Dakota residents through new or expanded primary sector activities and to develop and maintain selected models and data bases to enable timely analyses of economic trends and impacts.

Internal and External Linkages
The research to be undertaken at North Dakota State University will complement research being undertaken by other participating states (e.g., Michigan, Washington, Colorado) regarding impacts of migration and changing ethnicity on rural communities. Internal linkages result from collaboration with other departments at NDSU, especially the Department of Sociology, as well as staff from other centers and institutes on campus. These include the North Dakota State Data Center and the Institute for Business and Industrial Development.

Government agency personnel will work together to create area resource teams. Teams will include participants from USDA Rural Development, local REC's, NDSU Extension Service, and from other interested agencies. USDA and NDSU Extension will provide leadership for the training and development of resources for teams including the development of research-based information for application in decision making.

Target Audiences
Providing timely and accurate information to state and local leaders in North Dakota is particularly important at this time because of the increasing importance of state and local initiatives in economic development, relative to the federal role. Planners and policymakers frequently request information regarding state and local economic trends, the economic base of their areas, and the potential impact of possible changes. Similarly, representatives of various economic sectors often feel a need for information about the contribution of their sectors to the state economy.

Program Duration
This program will continue for the five-year life of the plan.

Education and Outreach Programs
The extension program is closely meshed with the research program. One specialist leading the extension education effort works closely with researchers in the community economic development area.

Program 15: Business Retention and Expansion

Statement of Issues
The strategic planning exercises of the state of North Dakota have determined that the state's economy continues to be dependent on agriculture and extraction industries and that diversification is imperative for the state's economic survival. The exercises also show that business retention and expansion is a very important community strategy with 60 to 80 percent of all new employment coming from the current business sector. The retention and expansion of existing businesses also is a strategy in the third phase of the Department of Economic Development and Finance's (ED&F) BUILD community development program.

Performance Goals

Output Indicators

• Client satisfaction with program and services provided.
• Client use of methods and information.
• Client's willingness to identify further service needs.
• Direct feedback to NIST team members from North Dakota manufacturers.

Outcome Indicators

• Community's use of business retention and expansion strategies.
• Job retention/creation within participating communities.
• Increase knowledge of community leaders of concerns of business people and methods to help meet needs.
  

Key Program Components
A BR&E handbook will be updated and made available to the local leadership team and task force. The handbook explains the step-by-step process of the program. Training of the leadership team, task force, and volunteer visitors will be done by extension specialists. Data analysis and report writing will be provided by NDSU Agriculture Economics. ED&F provides a grant for the research costs. Individual counties sponsor the cost of reports. Follow-up programming in the area of customer service and other identified business needs will be conducted upon request. This may be made possible through the cooperation of ED&F, NDSU Extension Service, IBID and Technology Transfer Internal and External Linkages. The NDSU Institute for Business and Industry Development is a technology transfer service to the state's business community with the objectives of being the first point of contact for North Dakota businesses that can benefit from access to the business, scientific and technological resources of NDSU.

Internal and External Linkages
This program is a collaborative effort of NDSU Extension Service, the Department of Agricultural Economics, North Dakota ED&F staff, and NDSU IBID staff. Additional linkages exist with various departments of the North Dakota state government, other units within the NDUS, and the Greater North Dakota Association.

Target Audiences
Target audiences are community and business leaders and governmental agency representatives in the state of North Dakota.

Program Duration
This program will continue for the five-year life of the plan.

Education and Outreach Programs
This is primarily an extension-driven program. Research provides the community survey information.

Program 16: Asset Building in Youth

Statement of Issues
Youth need opportunities to be meaningfully involved in family, school, and community in order to develop skills and confidence to become productive, caring adults who contribute positively to society. Experiential learning in areas relating to healthy lifestyles, preparing for careers, developing communication, social skills, leadership and community involvement can provide the education and development of these life skills.

Today's society doesn't always provide examples and opportunities for youth to make healthy life choices; therefore, by providing opportunities to youth and preparing youth workers with resources to build positive assets, 4-H youth programs will build life skills, develop decision-making abilities, foster positive expectations and create meaningful roles for youth in North Dakota. Individual character is essential to the development of a productive individual, responsible leadership, and a caring world community.

Performance Goals

Output Indicators

• Evaluation data and information collected from Character Counts and other character educational programs will indicate participants' reactions to programs.
• Participants in the 4-H Youth Development Program will:

• participate in county and state events, county and state councils and committees, county Jr. leadership programs, community service learning activities, grant funded youth directed activities.
• complete assessments to help determine issues affecting North Dakota youth.
  

Outcome Indicators

• Participants in the 4-H Youth Development programs will:

• learn how to make appropriate healthy life choices.
• have an increased ability to resolve conflict.
• have a better understanding of themselves and other peoples of the world, the earth and its environment.
• conduct themselves in a manner that respects others, the environment and all living things.
• be more responsible citizens, leaders and productive members of society.
• hold themselves accountable for conduct that reflects caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness.

Key Program Components
Asset building in youth will be the focus of 4-H youth development programs in North Dakota for the next five years (2000-2004). The development of character in youth and their communities will be a major focus of asset building. The Character Counts curriculum will be available for county programming and a statewide initiative. The Character Counts curriculum focuses on six pillars of character: caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness. This program will include training staff (adults and youth) to use the curriculum. Information will be incorporated into literature development, newsletters, and news articles. Additional training will be developed to assist staff and community leaders to consider a strategy for becoming communities of character. 4-H will partner with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, through the Division of Independent Study, to work with their Partnership in Character Education Grant. In 1999, this grant will be active in 11 school districts. NDSU Extension Service will play a major role in helping to form community coalitions for character education in these school districts and other communities as they join the character education movement. Ethics education will be incorporated into programs when appropriate, i.e., state fair participation, leader training, etc.

Nutrition/Health Curriculums will be introduced and incorporated into the ongoing project and school programs. The "Health, It's Your Choice" curriculum (five levels) developed through the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System (4-HCCS) will be introduced and implemented throughout the state. An "Issues Investigation" curriculum developed through 4-H CCS will be introduced and implemented in counties as requested.

International/Intercultural programs are integral in supporting opportunities for youth and adults, to gain an understanding of the diversity in our state and world. Cultural youth exchange programs will be encouraged. Program participants will be sought. Program components will be dispersed throughout the youth development program. A leadership education curriculum will be introduced and implemented in North Dakota counties.

Youth Adult partnerships will be encouraged and efforts will be made to include youth on boards and in decision-making groups.

Internal and External Linkages
NDSU Extension Service volunteer and paid staff at state and county levels will be involved in asset building for youth. The staff will cooperate with the staff in the Child Development and Family Science Department and school of education at NDSU. Other partners include the NDSU Department of Independent Study, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, and the North Dakota Department of Health. Schools and public partners will be part of programs at local levels. The 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System (36 states) and the Josephson Institute of Character Development will provide most of the curricula used.

Target Audiences
Target audiences for asset building in youth include youth participating in 4-H youth development programs, their parents and families, volunteer and paid staff working with the 4-H program and the communities in which participants live.

Program Duration
This plan will continue for the five years of the plan.

Educational and Outreach Programs
4-H youth development programming efforts are underway in all North Dakota counties. Efforts will focus on programs where volunteer and paid staff have been trained in using support materials and partnering with community groups.

Program 17: Career Readiness - Preparing North Dakota Youth

Statement of Issues

Youth in North Dakota need opportunities to explore career possibilities, to view education as a tool to success, and learn the attitudes, skills, and work habits valued by employers and needed by entrepreneurs. Youth need to know what to expect in the workplace.

Science and technology affect the career opportunities for youth. Science and technology education will affect decisions relating to future education and careers. The 4-H program can supplement and enhance science and technology education now offered in schools for youth and adults.

Youth have a strong interest in entrepreneurship or starting their own business. National Gallup survey's (sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation) taken in 1994, 1995 and 1999 concluded that six out of ten young people wanted to start a business. When students were asked to rate their knowledge and understanding of starting a business most (76 percent) rated themselves fair to very poor. Youth recognized the importance of education for preparation of starting a business.

Performance Goals

Output Indicators

• The number of children, adults, and families participating in programs and events will be recorded.
• Outcome Indicators
• Youth will explore potential career options.
• Youth will learn to research career choices, to consider the requirements of various careers and to make good decisions based on their research.
• Youth will develop the attitudes, skills and work habits needed in the workplace.
• Youth will develop greater awareness of science and technology, and their relationship to education and careers.
• Youth will develop critical thinking skills and grasp scientific concepts and processes.
• Youth will participate in 30 hours of entrepreneurship "hands on" learning.

Key Program Components

Career Awareness

• Appropriate partners will be identified and recruited in communities, counties, and the state to provide on-site opportunities for career exploration. Career skills will be linked to 4-H education. On-line and in-person mentoring relationships will be provided between youth and professionals.

Preparing to Work

• A curriculum on resumes, interviews and job search techniques will be provided. Service learning concepts will be expanded statewide through partnerships with the Department of Public Instruction and individual school districts. A "Service Learning" project for groups or individuals will be developed and expanded. The "WOW" (Wonders of Work) curriculum for use by elementary school aged youth and the "It's A Big World" curriculum designed for parents and caring adults to help youth prepare for a career will be implemented in communities across North Dakota.

Science and Technology

• A North Dakota Technology Corps of 4-H teens, volunteers and staff will be developed. Hands-on science opportunities will be provided for North Dakota youth.

Mini-Society

• 30 hours of entrepreneurship "hands on" learning will be held in classrooms, after school programs and 4-H clubs in North Dakota.

Internal and External Linkages

Statewide linkages in the career readiness program will include the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, local schools including guidance counselors and teachers assigned to help youth prepare for careers, volunteer and paid staff working with 4-H youth development programs and local business communities. The curriculums used for many 4 -H activities will be provided through work with the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System (36 states). Program implementation plans used by 4-H programs in other states Cooperative Extension Services will be shared and adapted for use in North Dakota. The "It's a Big World" curriculum was developed through a grant from Cargill. The National 4-H Council will also help to provide program assistance.

Target Audiences

Target Audiences for Career Readiness - Preparing North Dakota Youth include youth and their families in North Dakota communities, volunteer and paid staff working with the 4-H program, schools and community organizations and citizens who form partnership or support career readiness programs.

Program Duration

This program will continue for the five-year life of the plan plus the two year extension.

Educational and Outreach Programs

4-H Youth development programming efforts are underway in all North Dakota counties. Some volunteer and paid staff have been trained in use of some of the curriculums. Efforts will be made to focus on programs with staff trained in programs related to career readiness. The preliminary steps for forming a youth technology corps have been taken.