Pilot program stocks shelves with locally grown food

MANDAN, N.D. – The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) is fostering collaboration among rural grocers and area farmers with a program designed to offer more locally-grown fruits and vegetables to shoppers. Eight participating stores are receiving financial and technical support during a one-year pilot program to purchase, merchandise and promote North Dakota-grown produce and other foods: Prairie Harvest Foods, Fessenden Hinrich s SuperValu, Harvey McClusky Grocery Prairie Pride Foods, Powers Lake Farmer s Grocery, Sheyenne Main Street Market, Turtle Lake Velva Fresh Foods Baker s Market, Westhope Rural grocery stores are essential to their communities, but bringing locally grown foods into a traditional grocery setting can present some upfront challenges for both stores and producers, said Ellen Huber, NDAREC rural development director. This program gives grocers an opportunity to build relat