South Dakota

In FY 2012, EDA awarded 13 projects in South Dakota totaling $1.7 million. These EDA investments build upon the State’s strong history of agricultural innovation and help native communities achieve their bottom-up, regionally-owned economic development initiatives to create jobs and maximize their economic assets and potential.  South Dakota State University also serves as an EDA-supported University Center, providing technical assistance primarily for the applied technology economic sectors in the State.  

Investment Spotlight: EDA Investment Spurs Innovation in Aquaculture and Alternative Biofuels Clusters

Population loss in rural areas of the Plains states threatens the viability of communities and the critical services they provide citizens of the region.  This is especially true for areas largely dependent upon production and shipment of bulk agricultural commodities.  As a solution, many agricultural-dominated rural regions are finding that sustained economic growth, higher-paying jobs and new investment can come from nurturing a presence of industries that undertake value-added production of agricultural commodities and byproducts.

In July 2012, EDA announced a $1.2 million award to the City of Brookings and Brookings Economic Development Corporation to construct the Agriculture Technology Center for Rural Enterprise in the Telkamp Industrial Park.  The Center will house pilot scale validation projects to commercialize public and private sector research and provide a broad range of commercialization services to small and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs. Designed to bridge the gap between research at South Dakota State University and business development, the Center will focus on advancing the region's growing aquaculture and alternative biofuels clusters. Initial tenants in the Center include a biofuels program that uses bacteria to convert waste products in ethanol plants into valuable fuels and a program that uses soybeans in the manufacture of foods for tank- and pond-grown fish.  The project is expected to generate nearly $3 million in private investment.