The program focuses on eight operations, including a wine vineyard near Buffalo, a winery in Casselton, an entrepreneur in Stanley who manufactures air fresheners for Tractor Cabs, a raspberry farm near Bowdon, and a woman who makes candles out of soy near Chaseley.

During the early 1900s, North Dakota’s economy was dangerously dependent on a single industry—agriculture, an industry controlled by financial interests outside the state. To diversify the economy and regain control of its financial future, North Dakota created a unique asset: the state-owned Bank of North Dakota. North Dakota is the only state in the union with a state-owned bank. The program documents the rise of the Non-Partisan League and its struggle to overthrow the out of state interests that controlled the North Dakota economy and chronicles the political infighting, the dirty tricks, the back room deals, and the amazing series of events that led to the creation of the bank.

“The Bank of North Dakota” features historians, economists, bank staff members and members of the Industrial Commission discussing how the bank came into existence, how it has responded over the years to its mission, and its evolving role in promoting commerce, agriculture and industry.

Narrator, writer, and producer Matt Olien traveles across North Dakota to speak with young people, political leaders, and native North Dakotans who have returned to the state, and he visits communities that are successfully dealing with the the program of outmigration.

CD #1 includes the following essays:
1 Can Pile
2 Sister Catherine’s Grotto
3 Cruel Cold Land
4 Driving to Manfred
5 Newcomers
6 Social Capital
7 Take Back the Taverns
8 Holiday House
9 Smelt Fry
10 Signs & Wonders
11 North Dakota Rant
12 Mysterious.
CD #2 includes the following essays:
1 Lutefisk & Meatballs
2 Turkey & Kraut
3 Cruel Cold Land
4 Chubaracka
5 Red-eye
6 Chokecherry Hostile
7 Cowbell Game
8 Goat Game
9 Rednob’s Return
10 Cradle Hymn
11 Cather Christmas
12 Candles at Canaan

Prairie Public followed the North Dakota state and local school boards as they re-examined the policies and funding of our schools — to create a documentary that gives new insight into the struggles faced by education systems.

“Energy: Powering North Dakota’s Economy” investigates the budding renewable fuels potential for North Dakota and reviews the state of our existing coal and oil resources. Prairie Public producer Matt Olien has investigated the boons and busts of the past and explored the state’s current issues. The documentary visits the Edgeley-Kulm Wind Farm, the Coal Creek Plant in Underwood, the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in Beulah, the Grand Forks Energy and Environmental Research Center and a sustainable energy farm near Kulm, among others. “Energy: Powering North Dakota’s Economy” also investigates the potential of ethanol, bio-diesel fuels and the new phenomena of E85 Ethanol gasoline — which is much less expensive that regular gasoline. The documentary visits one of two new plants and a new bio-diesel plant going up near Minot.

The author, Rose Marie H. Gueldner, a descendant of Germans from Russia pioneers, has worked as an educator, professional cook, writer, journalist, and businesswoman. She spent years researching history, traveling to ethnic communities, visiting cooks and gathering data for this book.

Some of the narrators are Adam Boschee - Driving Tractor; Alice Ruth Miller Buck - Eating Ergot Kernels, Prairie Fire, Milking In Our Mouth; ElRoy Fischer - Car Catches Fire; Emil E. Schaffer - Funeral Song; James Vetter - Learning to Swim, Life in Russia; Marvin G. Fiechtner, Dirty Thirties; Marvin L. Hartmann - Life on the Prairie; and Ruth Dockter Fischer - Ellis Island.

Prairie Public produced the documentary in partnership with the Lake Agassiz Arts Council. To learn more, visit www.herdabouttheprairie.org.

"A Holiday Special: German-Russian Childhood Memories" is a project of the North Dakota
State University Libraries and is a collection of narratives gleaned from the oral histories collection of the Dakota Memories Oral History Project.

Numerous museums and historical societies including the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the International Peace Garden have already had Nellie design for them. Six of the artist's eight children are involved in hand-casting and hand-painting each piece with as much skill as their mother.

As a reminder of your own Germans from Russia heritage, or as a unique birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift for someone special, this keepsake will be the kind of gift you will be proud to give — and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to support the important work of the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection and Prairie Public.

The "Iron Cross Memorial Keepsake" is full of fine detail. Rich in symbolism from the cross itself to wheat; prairie grass and hearts to prairie roses and the shawl which the German-Russian women wore. Gold/bronze pulver is used to highlight much of the artwork, which hangs on a handsome walnut and brass stand, complete with brass engraving. The inscription reads "Prairie Crosses, Prairie Voices."