6 Farm Lease Clauses That Outlive a North Dakota Handshake

Think a handshake is all it takes to seal a North Dakota farm lease?. Cash rent is real money here, up about 2% statewide in 2026, per North Dakota State University Extension’s analysis of the state’s cropland rent survey, and a handshake settles none of what happens when a season goes wrong.

2 North Dakota Starbucks Locations Permanently Closing

Two North Dakota Starbucks locations are closing as part of a nationwide store reduction. We hear about new businesses opening in North Dakota all the time, but unfortunately, today we learned that the major coffee chain is closing two locations in our state. Starbucks has long been a juggernaut in...

Schaff takes over hardware store

For more than four decades, Hertz Bros. Hardware has been a familiar fixture on Main Street in Carson, serving area farmers, ranchers and residents looking for everything from parts and equipment to tools and everyday necessities. When longtime owners Keith, Nettie, Darcy and Jack Hertz decided in 2025 that it...

North Dakota gives farmers a break on diesel as harvest ramps up

North Dakota farmers will get a break on surging diesel fuel prices as Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday issued an order allowing a lower-taxed version of diesel to be used on highways and not just in the field. North Dakota charges a tax of 23 cents per gallon on regular diesel fuel but only 4 […]

Your Sump Pump Hasn't Run All Summer, So You Assume It's Ready. Its Makers Say Pour a Bucket In and Watch It Run Every Three Months.

A sump pump that stayed quiet through a dry summer looks like a pump with nothing wrong. Its makers treat that silence as untested. Zoeller and Little Giant both say to inspect and test the system every three months, and Wayne's manual says to pour a bucket of water into the pit and make sure the pump starts on its own and drains it quickly.

North Dakota faces thousands of job openings, especially in healthcare

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - North Dakota has 12,435 job openings across the state, and 3,737 of them are in healthcare, according to Job Service North Dakota. Last week, Gov. Kelly Armstrong announced he wants to merge the state’s workforce programs into one agency. In January, he will ask lawmakers to make it official, creating a new Department of Workforce Development. The department would include Job Service North Dakota, which helps people find jobs. In addition, The Department of Commerce Division of Workforce Development, Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement are anticipated to be involved.

North Dakota Consolidates Workforce Programs Under New Commissioner

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of...

Bismarck's Old Famous Dave's Lot Getting Two New Tenants

Bismarck, you've probably driven past the old Famous Dave's and wondered what's next. The lot isn't sitting empty. Here's what's coming.

North Dakota ag commissioner candidates clash over data center development

NORTH DAKOTA (NORTH DAKOTA MONITOR) -- Vern Thompson is challenging Doug Goehring for North Dakota agriculture commissioner, but has been most vocal about controversial data center plans in the state. Thompson, a Democrat, said he is running in part because the ag commissioner is one of three members of North...

North Dakota see more than 12,000 open jobs; just under 3,800 open jobs in healthcare

Schmidt Post-Humously Honored as Top Hand

The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) post-humously honored longtime cattle industry leader Jason Schmidt of Crystal Springs, N.D., with its prestigious Top Hand Award during the organization’s 97th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Bismarck, N.D., tonight. Schmidt’s family accepted the award in his honor. The Top...

North Dakota Starbucks Stores Closing in Nationwide Cuts

Signs posted on the doors confirm both North Dakota Starbucks locations are now closed for business.

$1.2 billion Uganda pipeline could aid ND businesses

A proposed $1.2 billion investment pipeline in Uganda could create new opportunities for North Dakota businesses.

N.D. Insurance Commissioner orders AI company to stop doing business in the state

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread orders Silverberry Group and WoundScribe AI to stop doing business in North Dakota. He says they have been soliciting investments without being properly registered with the state. Silverberry group is a medical artificial intelligence technology company. It converted to WoundScribe AI...

Interior Department agrees to overhaul wetland rules on North Dakota farmland

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (KFYR) - The U.S. Department of the Interior has agreed to overhaul how it polices millions of acres of North Dakota farmland, according to state leaders. For decades, agricultural producers have clashed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over perpetual wetland easements. Landowners say federal restrictions prevented them from installing drain tile systems to clear standing water, allowing alkaline salts to accumulate in the soil and damage crops.

North Dakota Consolidates Workforce Programs Under New Commissioner

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of...

Farming crisis adds stress for farmers and ranchers

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - In rural populations like North Dakota, male farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers have significantly higher rates of suicide. According to the National Rural Health Association, men who work in farming are 3 1/2 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Drought, high...

Montana, Wyoming among lowest mortgage rate increases Q1 to Q2

Financial analyst WalletHub is reporting an overall increase in average mortgage rates in 37 of the 50 states between Q1 2026 and Q2 2026. Regional buyers in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota and South Dakota fared best among the 50 states. Montana registered a decrease of .84 percent in the...

North Dakota Starbucks Stores Closing in Nationwide Cuts

Signs posted on the doors confirm both North Dakota Starbucks locations are now closed for business.

$1.2 Billion Uganda Pipeline Opens New Export and Jobs Opportunities for North Dakota

NEW YORK — The announcement of an indicative US$1.2 billion Uganda investment pipeline for the Roosevelt Africa Trail under the U.S. Trade Over Aid framework creates an opportunity to transform North Dakota’s historic connection to Theodore Roosevelt into a modern economic bridge with East Africa. North Dakota provides...