In towns far from any city, fictional manufacturers build loaders, trailers and farm equipment for a continent, proving that the plains make as well as grow.
It surprises outsiders to learn how much the plains manufacture. In small towns far from any city, fictional firms like Gwinnett Loader Works and Dakota Steel Fabrication build compact loaders, grain trailers, tillage tools and specialized equipment that ships to farms and job sites across the continent. The plains, it turns out, make things as well as grow them.
Built Where the Work Is
The advantages are real: a workforce raised around machinery and unafraid of a hard day, proximity to the farm customers who buy the equipment, and a community loyalty that keeps skilled hands on the payroll for decades. A single such plant can be the economic heart of its town, its wages rippling through every store on main street.
From the almanac's reckoning:
- Small-town plants manufacture loaders, trailers and farm equipment.
- A machinery-savvy workforce and nearby farm customers are key advantages.
- A single plant can anchor the entire economy of its town.
The challenge is finding enough workers in a thinly settled country, and the manufacturers recruit hard and train harder. The almanac counts prairie manufacturing among the quietest strengths of the regional economy — proof that the plains build, and not only sow.
Elsewhere in the Almanac
The Family Business That Anchors the Small Town
The hardware store, the implement dealer, the funeral home — family businesses handed down through generations remain the backbone of commerce in the plains town.
Tourism Finds Its Footing on the Northern Plains
From the badlands to the lakes to the heritage sites, a growing tourism trade brings visitors and their dollars to a region long overlooked by the traveler.
The Housing Squeeze in the Growing Cities
As Fargo, Bismarck and the oil towns grow, the cost and scarcity of housing have become a pressing worry, complicating every employer's search for workers.