The 58th Annual Dakota Conference, April 23-24, 2026, invites presentations relating to "The Future Northern Plains: Opportunities and Challenges," in commemoration of America's 250th anniversary.
The future is here . . . and now: the John Deere autonomous tillage system is at work in North Dakota corn fields — no human operator required. As early adopters, farmers are adding efficiency to their operations but inadvertently hollowing out rural and small-town communities.
Jamestown and Ellendale, North Dakota, are betting their futures on building out infrastructure to meet the demands of billion-dollar AI data centers.
Will the future Northern Plains consist of large urban centers surrounded by vast fields worked by driverless tractors 24/7 — and not a farmer or farm family in sight? Making matters worse, expanding tillage has led to severe soil erosion. Even the dirt is moving out!
B-21 Raider stealth bombers will soon be flying over these fields. Stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, the latest in aerial warfare will bring billions of dollars to western South Dakota in infrastructure expenditures, along with 8,000 jobs and 1,500 Air Force personnel, and double the base’s size.
The Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, is U.S. Strategic Command headquarters and home to the war fighting 55th Wing, both major components of the future Northern Plains.
Across the Plains, commercial airports are being enlarged, new highways are being built, and major retail businesses are being opened, servicing urban dwellers — but attracting even more rural and small-town residents to the cities. With a population surpassing 300,000, Sioux Falls is the fastest-growing metro area in the Midwest and Great Plains.
Rural healthcare is a priority for regional health systems, but major medical centers are located in large cities. Reduced federal assistance for health insurance and food will significantly impact rural populations. Tribal leaders exclaim that reservation healthcare is in a state of emergency.
Governed by single-party rule, partisanship in Plains states turns inward, and majority-party unity begins to fray, with significant implications for future state legislatures and programs. Cities, towns, and tax-payers take exception to state legislatures usurping local control over schools and land rights.
Jobs exceed qualified workers in agriculture, food processing, and construction, those traditionally held by naturalized and undocumented immigrants, and removal policies exacerbate the need for future skilled workers.
The future economy will be determined largely by federal trade (tariff) and immigration policies, raising the alarm of state councils of economic advisors.
The future Northern Plains may look like the large population centers of Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Sioux Falls and Rapid City, South Dakota; Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Billings, Montana — totaling over 2.5 million residents. Adding the Twin Cities’ 3.8 million and Des Moines-West Des Moines’ 750,000, the number of urban dwellers balloons to over 7 million, widening the urban/rural divide.
Related themes of interest for this year's conference are lessons for the future from the past; bridging political partisanship for community advancement; and the future of libraries, museums, and the study of history.
