June 14, 2016 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Invest In Chandler By Dave Ramsey Dear Dave, I’m 19 years old, and I’m putting myself through college debt-free. I usually work part time during the semesters, but right now I’m working full time. I have about $2,000 in mutual funds, and I was wondering if I should add my full-time work income to that or save it all to help pay for school. —Chandler Dear Chandler, Wow! Great job, man! I appreciate that you’re looking toward the future with your investment, but right now I want you to invest in you. I want you to make sure, first and foremost, that you graduate college debt-free. So, if I’m in your shoes, I’m piling up the cash to pay for school. You’re in a season of your life where things are more hectic than you probably ever dreamed they could be. My advice is to keep that money liquid. Keep it available and on hand, and don’t tie it up in mutual funds at the moment. You’ll have plenty of time to continue investing once you graduate. It’s best for you to concentrate on finishing school, then landing a job and finding a place to live after college. Even if you end up living in the same place for a while, starting life in the real world takes money, so let’s make sure you can make Dave that happen. In other words, Chandler, as long as you do something with your education and that education is in an area that’s useable, you are a better investment than mutual funds right now! —Dave RAMSEY A free ride? Dear Dave, My son is going off to college soon, but he’s never had a job. His uncle has offered him a really nice, low mileage used car for $3,000. My husband doesn’t want us to give him money for the car, but I think this deal is just too good to pass up. What do you think? —Tonya Dear Tonya, Unless there’s some sort of disability that’s prevented your son from working part time over the last few years, I’ve got to agree with your husband on this. Your son needs a car, but he also needs to get off his butt and work for it. If you get this car for him, you’re just teaching him that mommy and uncle will take care of everything. That’s not a good lesson for any child to learn, and it’s an especially bad thing for a teenager. When you and your husband first started out in life, I’m guessing you didn’t start out rich. Am I right? It’s not really the car deal that’s the problem here; it’s the lesson that will be learned. At his age, it’s silly for him not to want to work for a car, and you and your husband need to be up in his face about that. Then, if he chooses not to work for a car, he can walk. He shouldn’t be rewarded for showing no desire to go earn things and make stuff happen. When my son was around that age and wanting a car, he was working his tail off around my office packing boxes and painting stairwells. That’s how you learn about the benefits of hard work. If you don’t teach your son how to work now, he’ll be living with you when he’s 30 years old and doing exactly what he’s doing now — which is nothing. This automobile deal is a bad deal, because it doesn’t teach your son to work for it. —Dave Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 11 million listeners each week on more than 550 radio stations and digital outlets. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. Our day is filled with heat at this time of year. It commands our attention and makes our work harder. As we toil, we daydream not about love or success, but things as mundane as shade and a cool drink. But though the oppressive heat weighs on our brains and taxes our bodies, it is the price we pay for being allowed to spend time outdoors … and it has its one singular consolation: our summer evenings. When the sun goes down in summer, it’s romantic enough to hug a cactus. The recipe is simple; keep the earth warm, but just bring out the stars and a soft breeze that cools the skin. Mix this with a fulmination of little night varmint sounds of peeping and chirping and croaking. And guitars. Whether we play them ourselves or just turn on the radio, it is a setting that is perfect for guitars. Villalobos, Fernando Sor, Tarrega, Randy Travis, Doc Watson, Steve Cormier. We sit in brick-paved patios with something cool and someone sweet and relax and talk about dreams, because on evenings like this, anything is possible. On nights like this, it’s difficult to decide whether remembering evenings like this in the past is better than anticipating those to come. All we really know is that it sure is nice to be here right now. Tonight I’m going to see if I can remember all the words to “Little Joe the Wrangler” and find out if my guitar is still in tune. Best Implant Strategy in Stocker Cattle on Grass BROOKINGS, S.D. - Choosing the best implant from the wide array of available products is key to cattle producers maximizing their input dollars without any negative side effects, explains Kenneth Olson, Professor & SDSU Extension Beef Specialist. “Implants have been an effective tool to economically improve rate of gain and feed conversion in growing cattle for decades. Because implants are inexpensive, this can create a return on investment exceeding 20 to 1, depending of course on cattle prices relative to implant cost,” Olson said of the hormones which are expected to increase rate of gain in yearling cattle on grass by 10 to 20 percent. The hormones contained in implants cause an increase in the animal’s growth hormone. They are either naturally occurring or synthetic analogs of steroidal hormones, including estradiol, progesterone, and/ or testosterone. “A variety of implant products are available on the market that contain these active ingredients, either individually or in various combinations,” Olson said. He explained that these products also vary in the daily dosage (concentration) as well as the effective lifespan of active ingredients (payout). Choosing the Best Implant Potency of the implant is the first factor cattle producers should consider when selecting the best implant for their herd. “In general, implants are grouped as low, moderate, and high potency. This is based on which combination of active ingredients is used and their daily dosage,” Olson said. Olson encouraged producers with stocker cattle to only use implants that are approved for grazing cattle. “These are the low- and moderate-potency implants. The high-potency implants are approved for use only in confined feedlot cattle,” he said. A major reason for this is that potency has to correspond with energy level in the diet. High-potency implants are intended for use in cattle on high-energy finishing diets in the feedlot. “Grazed forage does not have the energy content to match these high-potency products,” Olson said. Side Effects & Management Considerations The main negative side effect attributed to implants is their potential to reduce marbling which would result in a lower USDA Quality Grade. “Research has clearly shown that implants do not reduce marbling if adequate energy is being consumed to allow intramuscular fat to be deposited at the increased pace of overall gain driven by the implant,” Olson explained. Green grass from late spring through mid-summer Gift Certificates are Leather Belts GREAT for Dad’s Day! & inWallets a variety of styles Boston Shoes to Boots 312 W. 3rd • Yankton • 665-9092 provides adequate energy to support marbling deposition needed for the gain increase expected from moderatepotency implants. “This means that a low-potency implant, although approved for use in grazing cattle, may not provide the best bang for the buck during the early portion of the grazing season when forage quality and cattle gains are expected to be highest,” Olson said. “However, as summer advances and grass quality decreases as it matures, energy intake may decline to a point that does not support the capacity of a moderatepotency implant.” Consider implant life span This challenge can be addressed by considering the lifespan of various implants. “We often consider the lifespan of the implant relative to the expected length of the grazing season,” said Olson. He shared this example: If the intent is to graze from mid-May to early October (about 135 days), many implant products pay out in 100 days or less. This leaves a producer with three possible options for the remainder of the grazing season. 1. Gather cattle and re-implant. This may be the least desirable option because it involves the cost, time, and effort to buy another round of implants and then gather and work the cattle. “Additionally, as mentioned above, this is a period of declining gains in cattle, so the expected response to the re-implant will decline in direct proportion and the possibility of negative impact on marbling exists unless a low-dose implant is used,” said Olson. He added that yet anoth- er reason this option is not ideal is the fact that most of the remaining life of this reimplant will last beyond the grazing period. “This is ineffective from the grazing standpoint and may interfere with subsequent feedlot implant goals,” he said. 2. Use an extended-life implant. Some of these can have a life as long as 400 days. “This option ensures active ingredient payout at least as long as the grazing season,” Olson said. 3. Leave the cattle without implant coverage late in the grazing period. “This may be the best option because of declining forage energy content and the potential negative effect on marbling fat deposition during late summer and fall,” Olson said. Potential Economic Advantage Based on these options for an implant strategy, Olson said cattle producers should consider the potential economic advantage of implanting yearling stocker cattle. He shares this example: Assume we start the grazing season with some 600-pound yearling steers intended to graze for 130 days. During the first 100 days of the grazing season we would expect 2.5 pounds of average daily gain (ADG) without implants. We choose a moderatepotency implant that is expected to improve ADG by 15 percent over about 100 days. The enhanced ADG will be 2.88 pounds leading to an additional 38 pounds of growth. Using the Beef Basis Forecasting Tool, found at www.beefbasis.com, Olson said the projected sale value in late September of this additional gain will be $51.77 per steer. If the implant costs $1.35 per head, the return on investment is projected at 38:1 (assuming steers are implanted when being worked before turnout to grass so there are no additional costs of implanting). An alternative to implants which Olson said cattle producers could consider would be to enroll the cattle in a Non-Hormone Treated Cattle program that would provide a price premium for leaving them un-implanted. “In this case, the NonHormone Treated Cattle premium would have to be greater than the $50 net value from using implants,” he said. Other Considerations Olson does reminds cattle producers that proper implanting procedures are critical to ensure full effectiveness of the implant to accomplish this economic advantage. The implant should be inserted so it is midway between the base and tip of the ear, and midway between the two main cartilage ribs of the ear. It should be inserted under the skin (subcutaneous) and not buried in the cartilage of the ear. Additionally, the needle on the implant gun should be kept clean and sharp. The needle should be sanitized in a disinfecting solution between using it in each animal. Wiping the needle across a sponge soaked in the disinfectant solution can effectively accomplish this. If microbial contamination is inserted with the implant, an infection can occur that will cause an abscess to form around the implant, walling it off from absorption into the animal’s bloodstream. This will render the implant completely ineffective. Using an effective strategy and technique, implanting yearling stocker cattle going to grass can be an effective and nearly guaranteed avenue to add value. - See more at: http:// igrow.org/news/best-implantstrategy-in-stocker-cattleon-grass/#sthash.rbaN3dcx. dpuf niGrow HUGE Rummage Sale We’d like to thank our customers and friends for their loyalty and support all these years. Heart Whispers of the Late Barb Schnider is Going Out Of Business 50% Off on Saturday, June 18th 8AM-5PM 75% Off on Sunday, June 19th 10AM-4PM 44888 305th St., Volin (2 miles west of Volin) Furniture, Trash to Treasure Items, Porcelain Stove 1920’s?, can be converted, Unique Crafts and Collectibles, Vintage Clothing and MUCH, MUCH MORE! Estate Sale Coming Soon!! If you are a collector and love old things and making them new, this is the place you want to be!! New Community Development Field Specialist BROOKINGS, S.D. - SDSU Extension Community Development Team welcomes Kristi Spitzer who will serve as an SDSU Extension Community Development Specialist working from the SDSU Extension Regional Center in Aberdeen. In this role Spitzer will help build capacity in individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities by using the best researched-based resources. “Kristi grew up on a cattle ranch and has a strong background in 4-H and other community organizations. We are excited for the experience and opportunities she will share with South Dakotans,” said Kenneth Sherin, SDSU Extension Community Development Field Specialist. More about Kristi Spitzer Growing up on a purebred cattle ranch by Wetonka. As a youth, Spitzer was involved not only with the local network of farmers/ranchers in the area but also community events in neighboring Leola. She spent her entire professional career working on the issue of the improving behavioral health of youth and families who live in Northeastern and Northcentral South Dakota. Prior to joining the SDSU Extension team, Spitzer spent time as a Counselor, High School Dean of Students and worked extensively in the area of Community Mobilization related to mental health and substance abuse of youth, young adults and their families. This work varied from collaborating with representatives from various human service agencies to improve and fund services for families; to working with task forces and forming coalitions on grassroots efforts. “I look forward to working with communities in Northeastern South Dakota as they become better South Dakota Great Places,” Spitzer said. Spitzer and her husband, Glenn have two sons and live in Leola, where she also serves as a member of the local school board. Spitzer can be reached by email or 605.626.2870. - See more at: http:// igrow.org/news/newcommunity-developmentfield-specialist/#sthash. sLoyzhlZ.dpuf niGrow