People tend to support those two places longer than they do some other things. The Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church, which covers South Dakota and North Dakota, reports that congregations met their financial obligations. Still, churches continue to fold. That's mainly because of the decades-old trend of people leaving rural areas as farms get larger, he says, though low prices are a factor. But it's hard to smile all the time.
Crops look beautiful.
But long-standing low prices show no sign of improving. In fact, they're dropping. Wesleyan Church southwest of Aberdeen. Everybody is aware of it and concerned about it. Prices are creating difficulties for farmers and are putting a lot of pressure on them.