Dakota Rural Action (DRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping South Dakotans protect their land, livelihoods, and way of life. Founded in 1987, DRA began as a grassroots response to the farm crisis of the 1980s—a widespread collapse of the agricultural sector that led to the foreclosure of many family farms and ranches and the rise of factory farming. The organization serves a wide cross-section of South Dakotans, helping local farmers, ranchers, and rural residents unite to combat the corporate control of agriculture, prevent the exploitation of South Dakota’s natural resources by extractive industries, and provide the residents of South Dakota with healthy, sustainably grown food that benefits people and the planet. DRA engages in community organizing, leadership development, policy advocacy, and education. Through these efforts, Dakota Rural Action works to ensure that South Dakotans have a strong voice in shaping policies that affect their future and the sustainability of their communities.
Dakota Rural Action members protest Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon-capture pipeline. Photo: Dakota Rural Action
A woman-led organization with ten full-time staff and more than 650 members across South Dakota, DRA is a community-driven group. When Summit Carbon Solutions proposed plans to build an $8.9 billion carbon-capture pipeline through rural South Dakotans’ properties, DRA took action. The organization’s policy advocacy and educational campaigns proved instrumental in the enactment of House Bill 1052 in March 2025, which restricts the use of eminent domain for CO₂ pipeline projects in South Dakota. DRA also runs Farm Beginnings, an educational initiative that helps new farmers launch and operate sustainable farming enterprises. DRA is leading the push for renewable energy in South Dakota as well, and is currently raising funds for an economic study on the benefits of solar energy for the state’s economy. With an active and engaged membership across the state, DRA employs every tool at its disposal to ensure that South Dakotans have clean water, air, and soil for generations to come.
DRA is leading the charge toward renewable energy in South Dakota. Photo: Dakota Rural Action