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Team discussing business strategy at a table.

Be Strategic About Using an Outside Facilitator

Working with an SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist facilitator can help create an actionable strategic plan for your business with goals and tactics to align your team, board and stakeholders.

Sunny Hannum, a dancer based in Fort Pierre, SD, dynamically posing with a horse in a field.

Hosannah Dance Studio: Sunny Hannum

In this episode of Home Starts Here, Kara Harders and Joshua Hofer, SDSU Community Vitality Field Specialists, meet with Sunny Hannum, of Fort Pierre, South Dakota, Co-Owner of Hosannah Dance Studio based in Fort Pierre, SD.

Book Cover: The Growing Season by Sarah Frey

SDSU Extension to Host Third Community-Focused Book Read

November 01, 2021

“The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life—and Saved an American Farm,” by Sarah Frey, will be the focus of the November/December book read.

Mother with two young children shopping at a holiday craft fair.

Your Town Matters! Shop Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Shopping local allows you to make a difference in your hometown. Locally owned businesses reinvest a large share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.

Two woman reviewing a building plan in a community workshop.

Truly Authentic Leaders Build Community

Authentic people build successful communities. If community leaders practice and share the habits that foster authenticity, positive change can and will happen.

A group of young workers sitting at a table putting their hands together.

Advantages Of Rural Community Living

At a Stronger Economies Together session held in Midland, SD in March, I asked the question “how many of you live here because of the quality of life?” Nearly everyone in the room raised a hand. So what is it about the quality of life that we so enjoy? Is it that we don’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of traffic in the city? Is it the peace and quiet?

Two young children walking in a pasture.

Why Do Young People Leave Our Rural Communities?

It’s no secret that young people are leaving our rural communities in South Dakota. If you read the newspapers or watch the news on television, you also know this isn’t a challenge that only South Dakota communities are facing; it is happening across the nation.

A young girl with a snail-shaped watering can.

Ages & Stages in the Garden: Ages 6-8

A garden can be used to teach many concepts to a board range of ages. When working with early elementary youth you will want to consider characteristics of their development when planning lessons and activities.

Young entrepreneur meeting with community members.

Connections: An Overlooked Factor in Startup Success

If you are considering starting a business, your community network will be one of your most-important tools. Learn some expert tips for connecting your business with your community today.

A young, freckled girl eating small, red tomatoes inside a greenhouse.

Agritourism

When a producer has decided to sell a product directly from the farm, entertainment or tourism-based activities could be incorporated to create larger appeal. Agritourism could add value to the farm visit though education, entertainment, outdoor recreation, dining, relaxation or other avenues, potentially drawing more customers in.