March 1, 2016 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Ethical Dilemma Involving Job By Dave Ramsey Dear Dave, I work an extra job part-time for a retail store chain while I’m getting out of debt. I like my job, except for having to pitch the store’s credit card to customers. Like you, I believe debt is a bad thing. Still, my bosses are putting more and more pressure on me to sell the cards. It’s been bothering me a lot lately, and I was wondering if you have any advice for my ethical dilemma? —Evette Dave Ramsey Dear Evette, If you’ve been in the business for very long, I guess you’ve discovered that most retail stores make more money on credit than the sale of merchandise. In my mind, you’ve got two types of integrity that are pulling at you. Your personal integrity wants you to do a good job for yourself and your employer, but it’s also telling you that credit cards are bad products. That makes you feel like you’ve signed up to sell something that you don’t believe in. You wouldn’t want someone working for you who wouldn’t follow your instructions, and I wouldn’t want someone working for me who doesn’t believe in what they’ve been hired to do. For the sake of your own integrity, I would suggest that you find another part-time job. If you feel this strongly about the issue, sooner or later it will start to affect your performance and attitude—both at work and at home. Hang on long enough to land another job before you quit. Then, be professional when you turn in your notice. Despite what lots of people say these days, there are plenty of parttime jobs out there! —Dave Raising the rent Dear Dave, I have two small duplexes in Idaho that I rent for $400 a month, each on one-year leases. The rent is about $50 to $75 below similar units in the area. The tenants in all four places are great, so how do you know when—or if—you should raise the rent? If you raise the rent, how do you keep good relationships with your tenants? —Teresa Dear Teresa, My advice with rental properties is to raise the rent a little bit each year. You want to be fair and affordable for your tenants, but you don’t want them thinking the rate is locked in forever. As a business owner, if you don’t have small, manage- able increases on a regular basis, you’ll look up in four or five years and realize you’re losing money because your rent is way below market value. Then, if you implement a big rate hike out of nowhere your tenants will have a fit. After that, you could be looking at empty properties. I was one of the half-dozen guys holding Isaac Okleasik’s sled down while his dozen-plus sled dogs were screaming and lunging. It was the first Saturday in March back in 1973, and Isaac was one of the first mushers to leave on the first When it comes time to renew the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. I was wearing bib number 37, and leases, try explaining to them that since we let a team go every two minutes, I had plenty of time you’ve looked around in the market and to help others before it was my turn. other very comparable units are going The announcer was counting down the seconds for Isaac, for $450 or more, but that you appreci- hundreds of cold people were standing around in Anchorage’s ate them and what good tenants they semi-pro baseball stadium, cheering and clapping. And then are. Then, propose signing the new Isaac, a legendary dog driver as well as a legendary member lease at $410 or $420. Don’t raise it to of the elite Eskimo Scouts during World War II, looked at me full market value. In most cases, this and said, “Where we go?” kind of approach will keep both parties “Nome, Isaac.” happy. “Hokay.” As a landlord, you’ll be able to retain Then while the world was going insane, Isaac walked up quality tenants and make more money. the long string of dogs and knelt down and talked to his lead As a renter, you’ll have the comfort of dog. Then he started back toward the sled. knowing you rent isn’t going to sud“30 seconds,” said the p.a. system. denly jump sky-high. It’s a win-win! Isaac got back to the sled and stood on the runners. He —Dave was ready. I had to ask. “Why did you go up to the lead dog, Isaac?” Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted “He don’t know where we go, so I tell him.” voice on money and business, and CEO “Zero!” said the announcer. of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored Dog and sled holders pulled away from the team just five New York Times best-selling books. like a gantry releases a rocket, and Isaac Okleasik shot out The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by of sight down the trail. He must have given his leader good more than 11 million listeners each directions, because 1,100 miles later, Isaac was in Nome. week on more than 550 radio stations And on the first Saturday of every March since then, I say and digital outlets. Dave’s latest project, a little prayer for the dogs and the men and women on trail EveryDollar, provides a free online budget tool. Follow Dave on Twitter at @ on that long, cold camping trip. It’s lonely and quiet out there DaveRamsey and on the web at daver… and it’s a very long way to Nome. amsey.com. Don’t Forget the Small Grain in Rotations BROOKINGS, S.D. - The current low prices of grain crops are adding to planting decision challenges in 2016. “Reduced prices for corn, wheat, and soybeans, the three crops most commonly grown in South Dakota, will make it more important than ever for producers to use best management techniques to reduce risk and production costs,” said Ruth Beck, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist. Increasing diversity in the crop rotation is one tactic Beck encouraged growers to consider. “Diversity can provide numerous benefits - and an easy way to incorporate diversity is by using rotations of both warm and cool season grass and broadleaf crop types.” Why diversity matters? Over the last few decades, Beck said many South Dakota producers have reduced rotational diversity due to market and policy forces. “At the same time, the availability of technologically advanced inputs, such as glyphosate resistance crops, has mitigated the increased pest pressure that resulted from this approach,” she explained. “Today, low commodity prices coupled with the development of pest biotypes resistant to many of the frequently used products makes staying the low-diversity course less attractive.” Especially troublesome are crop production practices that include only two species with the same life cycle such as both warm-season crops or both cool-season crops, explained Ruth Beck. “One year away from a crop is often not enough of a break to reduce pest issues,” she said. Beck pointed to research conducted in South Dakota and Colorado by Dr. Randy Anderson, USDA Weed Ecologist, which has shown that if producers can rotate out of a crop or crop type (i.e. warm season vs. cool season) for periods of two or more growing seasons, pests that are inherent to those crops are significantly reduced as compared to fields where there is only one year between similar crops. “For instance summer weeds that tend to germinate in late June and July are often more of a problem in crops like corn and soybeans. Growing small grains would extend the interval between corn crops and soybean crops,” she said. This could be seen as an integrated pest management tactic. Small grains would be much more competitive with summer weeds because by the time warm-season weed types germinate the small grain crop would be tall and leafy with an extended root system. “This would enable it to outcompete the summer weeds for nutrients, water and light, often without the need for an herbicide treatment,” she said. Those summer weeds that do survive could be controlled as well with a wide variety of herbicide choices after the small grains harvest. Dr. Anderson concluded that utilizing diverse crop rotations, can substantially and naturally decrease problem weeds. Similar benefits can be expected from rotations when considering other pests. “In fact some researchers attribute the NUTRITION t o mak e yo ur SOIL WORK BUY LOCAL , EA T L OCAL , F ERT IL IZE L OCA L F R E E S O I L H E A LT H WORKSHOP M A R C H 8 TH o r 9 TH Come join us from 9am -3pm at Jo-Dean’s Restaurant, 2809 Broadway Yankton, SD. Topics to be discussed will be fertility for high-yielding crops, starter programs, and how to improve your soil’s health. Registration begins at 8:30am. The workshop is the same each day so you can choose which day to attend. Lunch is on us! Come for the food, stay for the education (6 05) 2 6 0 078 4 · 42 00 W 8 th S t · Yan k to n , SD 57078 www. gs rcal ci um.co m SOIL WORKS LLC yo ur LO CA L chem i cal fr ee fe rti li zer ma n u fa ct ur er Kmart Names New Pharmacy Manager, Cindy Cooper The new pharmacy manager, for Sears Holding Company Hoffman Estates, IL Kmart #4813 in Yankton, is Cindy Cooper. Cindy, a University of Nebraska Medical Center Pharmacy graduate, hails from Wyoming. She grew up in a military family, so she grew up in various locations (California, Germany, and Georgia). Cindy loves living in the Midwest and is happy to have found a home in Yankton. An avid runner and paddleboarder, she is excited to explore the beautiful local environment and waterways. The recent and unfortunate closings of Kmart stores in Pierre and Mitchell may have left the Yankton community worrying about the Yankton Kmart’s possible closure. Cindy and the entire Yankton Kmart staff would like to reassure everyone that we are here to stay and will continue to serve the wonderful Yankton community. And, as always, if you are looking for fast, friendly pharmacy service - please stop by your Yankton Kmart Pharmacy! Kmart Pharmacy offers: * Immunizations (flu, shingles, pneumonia shots, etc.) * Specialty Pharmacy Services * Free mail-out Services * Discounted over-the-counter Medications * Prescription Savings Club * Free auto-fill program * Shop Your Way Rewards program (new and updated) * $25 Kmart Gift Card on Prescriptions Transferred. Stop in and visit with Cindy, John or Rhonda to learn how to get $10 in Kmart Reward dollars for every five prescriptions filled. * Mobile app (new/coming soon) Pharmacy Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 2210 Broadway St., Yankton, SD • 605-665-7920 synergism seen from crop rotation to be, in part, attributed to reduced levels of root diseases or other pests specific to a host crop,” Emmanuel Byamukama, Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Plant Pathologist said. For instance fields growing corn on corn could have high levels of root and foliar pathogens specific to corn. A three or four year rotation out of corn would reduce those pathogens and other corn specific pests in that field to much lower levels. Including a small grain in a rotation with corn and soybeans can also provide producers with a window to grow a cover crop. “Cover crops have been shown to benefit agricultural soils by increasing soil biology, improving nutrient cycling, organic matter and water efficiency,” Beck said. “Cover crops can also provide livestock producers with additional forage.” Another benefit of small grains is their high carbon content. Beck explained that including another high carbon crop (in addition to corn) to a crop rotation will make the ratio of high carbon crops to low carbon crops 2/3’s to 3/4’s. “This can also improve water efficiency, soil structure and quality, and increase water holding capacity,” Beck said. The addition of small grains in a crop rotation can also help producers by allowing them to spread equipment and labor over more acres. “Trading good agronomic practices for short term profit will only increase risk. Enjoy the short and long-term benefits of keeping diversity in your crop rotation,” Beck said. niGrow Dining, Entertainment, Interested in this spot? INTERESTED IN THIS SPOT? Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. and Celebrations! www.missourivalleyshopper.com Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. Cornhusker Run Interested in this spot? www.missourivalleyshopper.com BLACKBIRD BEND CASINO Yankton (Fry'n Pan) & Vermillion Pickups www.missourivalleyshopper.com Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. Interested in this spot? Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. Visit our Web site www.missourivalleyshop Onawa, IA March 8th & 22nd 10 Cost & $25 Back in Coupons & Vouchers $ Open To The Public www.missourivalleyshopp Visit our Web site at www.missourivalleyshopp For More Info Call (402) 379-1061 Visit ake our Web site at Pancwww.missourivalleyshopper.com Too Breakfast Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits & Gravy, French Toast many $ 7.00 All IT TODAY? 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