© 2025

For assistance accessing the Online Public File for KAXE or KBXE, please contact: Steve Neu, IT Engineer, at 800-662-5799.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Leech Lake sets sights on new wild rice processing facility

Two people sit in a canoe in a wild rice bed wearing life jackets and wide-brimmed hats
Two harvesters use carved cedar knockers to remove the ripened wild rice grains from the plant in 2021 in Floodwood, Minnesota.

The federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce will allow the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to develop a facility to process its own wild rice.

CASS LAKE — A processing facility for wild rice, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s only commercially produced product, is in the future.

A $3.6 million grant from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration was awarded last month to the band.

The funds will result in a 6,100-square foot facility and is expected to create 15 jobs, according to a news release.

“This project will empower the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to process its own wild rice and open additional business opportunities," said Cristina Kellingsworth, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and External Affairs.

Manoomin, or wild rice, is a sacred part of Ojibwe culture and a key resource for tribal members and the tribal economy.

Gavin Herrera told AgWeek that the facility is expected to be built next year, with a completion date around the next harvest season.

The project was also made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Region Five Development Commission.

  • A multi-media image, a woman in a hat in black and white is the base, with different colored threads laid over top in various shapes.
    Contributed
    /
    Bandcamp
    'Boleros Psicodélicos II' by Adrian Quesada is KAXE's Album of the Week for June 30-July 6, 2025.
  • at the Community Resources Center in downtown Bemidji on June 27, 2025.
    Larissa Donovan
    /
    KAXE
    The emergency declaration follows a severe windstorm on June 21, 2025, that downed thousands of trees and caused widespread power outages.
  • Shannon Anttila is the co-founder of Great Tails Animal Rescue in Grand Rapids, and was honored for her work with that organization as the United Way of 1000 Lakes Volunteer of the Year. She is also a KAXE volunteer and is seen here at Kick It with KAXE at Rapids Brewing Co. on May 22, 2025.
    Lorie Shaull
    /
    KAXE
    United Way of 1000 Lakes, serving Itasca County, honored Anttila and other finalists at its Community Impact Celebration in May 2025.
  • Two people standing in front of a white cabin. On the left is a man with a cowboy hat and long brown hair. On the right is a woman with curly dark hair and a tassled shirt on.
    CCBoyle Photography
    /
    Facebook
    Ren and Nick Howl of the band stopped by "Headwaters" on June 6, 2025.
  • Bemidji High School Marching Band holding a banner and American flag
    Contributed
    /
    Sarah Sundeen
    Bemidji High School Marching Band’s fundraiser is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Drum majors Elizabeth Buxton and Braeden Dougherty joined the "KAXE Morning Show" to talk more about the event.
  • The Essentia Health Virginia Medical Arts Clinic in Virginia. Photographed March 5, 2024.
    Megan Buffington
    /
    KAXE
    After authorizing a strike last week, north-central and northeastern APPs with the Minnesota Nurses Association filed a 10-day strike notice Monday, June 30, 2025.
  • American Red Cross volunteers distribute tarps and rakes at the Community Resources Center in downtown Bemidji on June 27, 2025.
    Larissa Donovan
    /
    KAXE
    The Leech Lake Emergency Operations Center continues to coordinate response efforts following the June 21, 2025, severe storm that impacted the Cass Lake area.
  • Contributed
    /
    Author photo—Lisa Kollberg; book cover—Penguin Random House
    Hayley Krischer ("The Falling Girls"; "Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf") returns with a thrilling story exploring class and the dark side of the wellness and beauty industry in "You Belong to Me."
  • Ashlea McMartin, director of Sanford Behavioral Health in Bemidji, discusses how our brains process the collective crisis that was the June 21 storm, advice on how and what to prioritize while in recovery mode and more with Bemidji Area Reporter Larissa Donovan.
  • Cover for the book "Kitchens of Hope", geometric designs and small bowls of spices
    Contributed
    /
    University of Minnesota Press
    In this episode of Ham Radio: Cooking With Amy Thielen we are all about the summer kitchen.Guests include Alena Levina, one of the contributors of the new cookbook Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home. Alena gives us her family recipe from Belarus: Holodnik or Summer Beet Soup. Alena lives in St. Paul and talks family and farmers markets and memories of outdoor cooking in the summertime. And Holodnik is our Community recipe this week! (stay tuned, we'll post soon! Or check out our past recipes of the week!)We're also thrilled to bring you a conversation with newly awarded St. Paul chef Karyn Tomlinson. She just won the James Beard award for Best Chef of the Midwest. Her restaurant is Myriel in St. Paul and she features local produce from farmers in her hometown of Dassel. We learn about how this strong connection to the local food forges not just sustainable friendships but creates a magic in the kitchen where limitation can mean creativity.So many texts and calls came rolling in this week about favorite summertime recipes and memories. From Mikki's gazpacho, Iris's ratatouille, Steve's watermelon Coke and carving a watermelon in the shape of a beautiful basket, we loved every single second of it. We continue to hear from our Ham Radio fans. Like this one from Sarah: "I especially loved last week’s conversation about recipes and Amy’s appreciation for older ones with those classic “grandma directions” (like using half an eggshell of water in the homemade noodles) and your discussion about special recipes with stories behind them (hello beer cooler chicken)."and a listener who share this memory:"Fresh brook trout with new potatoes has been a summer favorite since I was a young man. I remember doing "quasi-regular "brook trout delivery" to family in our neighborhood. Wonderful memories and a wonderful meal for all.Delivery? How do we sign up? Hope you enjoyed the first season of Ham Radio: Cooking With Amy Thielen. Tell others about us, pass the word and send us your memories and recipes! Ham Radio features original licensed music — "You Know How I Like It" by Jeremy Messersmith.Made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Culture Heritage Fund. Support KAXE by becoming a member today: https://donate.nprstations.org/kaxe/donate