shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com February 5, 2019 • Page 6 Revitalizing Rural South Dakota By Gov. Kristi Noem Hometowns are the heartbeat of South Dakota. I’m proud to be from a rural hometown. It’s where I learned the values of hard work and self-reliance, where Bryon and I chose to raise our kids, where we started an insurance business and hunting lodge, and where my family has farmed and ranched for a century. But many small towns like ours are struggling today. In South Dakota, according to our most recent statistics, we have 15,363 job openings and 13,500 people actively looking for work. Unfortunately, what we have is a skills gap – those unemployed workers don’t have the skills necessarily to fill the open jobs. I strongly believe that the best way to prepare our young people for their careers is through work experience. Over the coming year, I’m asking school leaders to work with me to dramatically increase work experience in our high schools. We need more CTE and skills training in high school. We need more apprenticeship programs. And we need more opportunities for young people to get out of the classroom and experience a real job. I would like our high schools to join together each year to hold a “Week of Work.” This will be a special week when every high school student will get out of the classroom to experience a day on the job. I hope this can lead to schools coordinating more internships and experience-based classes. Another state-imposed barrier to workforce can be professional licensure. I am directing the Department of Labor and Regulation, over the next year, to work with our professional organizations and licensure boards to conduct a full review of licensing requirements. We need to consider the elimination of unnecessary licenses, opportunities to streamline the licensure process, and options to fast-track licenses for apprentices, in-state graduates, veterans, and military personnel and their families. We can’t let unneeded red tape get in the way of growth. Furthermore, I want to break down barriers to help fill workforce shortages. In our smaller communities and more rural areas, affordable housing creates difficulties for employers. Earlier this year, I announced a pilot project by the South Dakota Housing Development Authority to help fix this problem. We will be building new modular multihousing units, called DakotaPlex, at the state prison facility in Springfield. It will be similar to the Governor’s Houses, but built as duplex, triplex, or quadriplex units. South Dakota communities of less than 5,000 people will be eligible to purchase these units and offer them for rent at affordable levels. I’m confident this new project will help our smaller communities expand housing options for workers. I believe the most sustainable way to strengthen rural communities is to expand economic opportunity, and that can only come from a healthy workforce. I am fully committed to revitalizing South Dakota’s rural culture so small-town schools and businesses can thrive for generations to come. International Exchange Program Now Open For 2019 Applications Imagine being involved in rice harvesting in Thailand, experiencing advances in dairy farming in Switzerland, cattle ranching in Argentina, or opportunities in more than 15 other countries. An experience with IFYE can bring you this and more. The IFYE Association of the USA, Inc. is now accepting applications for its 2019 international exchange programs. The initial application is available on the IFYE Association website at www.ifyeusa.org. It takes less than 30 minutes to complete and submit. The IFYE National Program Director will then follow up with you to begin your international experi- ence. Look under the Foreign Exchange tab for USA Outbound Participation Application to get started. Those who complete the written applications will be interviewed for the limited number of 2019 international exchange opportunities. Founded in 1948, the IFYE Association of the USA, Inc. provides cultural exchange programming that places participants with multiple host families during a three- or six-month period in countries around the world. IFYE representatives experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain an understanding of the culture and lifestyle from those they live with while in the program. IFYE exchanges are conducted in collaboration with country coordinators and programs are facilitated and supported by the IFYE Association of the USA, Inc. The IFYE vision of “Peace through Understanding” continues to touch the lives of people around the world. To learn more visit www.ifyeusa.org. BULL SALES MV Shopper 665-5884 MV Shopper Your Black Baldy Source M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y In Print and Online! M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Gant Polled Herefords & Angus Annual Sale Fri., February 22, 2019 1 PM at GANT RANCH • Complimentary Lunch 37195 285th St., 2 miles W. of Geddes, SD Selling: 50 Two-Year-Old Bulls Hereford & Angus Hereford Sires: Angus Sires: R on Target • JDH About Time NJW Homegrown • Pyramid Homegrown NJW Trust 167Y • Gant Trust 398C NO BULL Mogck Bullseye • WAR Upgrade Connealy Thunder • Styles Consensus Gant Homegrown 433E Sire: Pyramid Homegrown 4151 Dam: Gant M326 287A BW 2.1 WW 49 YW 84 M27 Sales are coming up & NOW is the time to get noticed! Be Sure To Get Your Advertising In! Gant Thunder 631A Sire: Connealy Thunder BW 70 WW 650 YW 1280 Contact a marketing representative at the MV Shopper MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y 319 Walnut Street • Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-5884 • 800-743-2968 MISSOU Fax: 605-665-0288R I VA L L E Y www.missourivalleyshopper.com • First Breeding Season Guarantee • Take Bull Sale Day — Deduct $50/Bull • Delivery is Available • Chisum Peterson, Auctioneer Gant Polled Herefords & Angus Dennis Gant 605-337-2564 • c: 605-680-1542 37214 285th St., Geddes, SD dggant@midstatesd.net Mark Gant 605-337-2340 • c: 605-680-1540 PO Box 15, Geddes, SD markgant@midstatesd.net www.gantpolledherefordandangus.com