March 6, 2018 • Page 10 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Soil Health: The Foundation Of Life By Lura Roti, for SDSU Extension Walking through the fields he has spent more than 40 years caring for, Dan Forgey says it's not the crop he's walking through that captures his attention these days, but the soil he is walking on. "Today, I pay attention to what is growing under my feet instead of just paying attention to what is growing above the soil's surface. In fact, I spend more time thinking about what is going on below," explains Forgey, 68, the Agronomy Manager for Cronin Farms, Gettysburg, South Dakota. His management practices affirm his dedication to soil health. Since the early 90s, Forgey has implemented no-till. He plants a diverse cropping rotation that includes 12 different warm and cool season crops. In addition, 300 acres of crop ground are planted to a diverse full season cover crop blend. "Planting a diversified cover crop has all the plant roots and their microbes the soil likes - building soil health," Forgey says. The farm's soils have responded to Forgey's invested focus with increased water absorption and retention, reduced erosion and an increase in organic matter. Healthier soils have less need for inputs and are capable of supporting crops even in less than cooperative weather conditions, Forgey explains. "Even during this year's drought, the soil health helped us with yields," he says. "Soil is forgiving. Taking care of it is so rewarding because it is sustainable." When Forgey began farming at 17, his farming practices were not sustainable. "I spent the first 24 years destroying our soils and the last 25 years making them healthy," he says. "It's been a big learning curve." A learning curve that a community of soil health experts and enthusiasts helped Forgey navigate. "Without a doubt, I had help. You have to go somewhere for your information," Forgey says of gleaning advice from SDSU Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Soil Health and Grassland Coalitions. Today, Forgey is a go-to soil health guru of sorts, sharing what he's learned with other farmers and landowners throughout the state and region. He is part of a growing number of individuals and organizations collaborating to increase soil health awareness and information working together to ultimately improve soil health across the state and nation. "Soil health is essential to sustaining South Dakota's number one industry of agriculture," explains Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist. "It's related to food security." Bly references the grand challenge to feed a growing global population with a diminishing land resource. "Everything we grow comes from the soil. If we don't take care of it and build up this natural resource, it endangers food security," he says. "Soil health is the way to accomplish this." Taking care of the soil is not just the responsibility of farmers like Forgey. It's everyone's job, says Jeff Zimprich, State Conservationist for NRCS in South Dakota. March Sobriety Checkpoints Announced "When I talk about big projects we should care about, I call them sandboxes. Because of our state's economic dependence upon agriculture, soil health is the most important sandbox South Dakotans need to get involved in. When I say South Dakotans, I mean all of us. All South Dakotans need to have a better understanding of and appreciation for our soil resource. There is room in this sandbox for everyone," says Zimprich, who is responsible for overseeing NRCS personnel and programs throughout South Dakota. Soil health - or rather the lack of, Zimprich explains, is the reason the federal agency he serves was established. "The NRCS was formed in 1935, born out of the Dust Bowl. We are all about helping producers, land owners and operators of private land care for natural resources," Zimprich says, explaining that 75 percent of all land in South Dakota is privately owned. Zimprich quickly adds that the task of improving the state's soil health is too large for any one agency, organization or group to take on alone. "The job is huge. It's so big. We have to collaborate. Also, all of us - individuals, agencies and organizations - bring different strengths to the table," Zimprich says. "When you collaborate you get to use everyone's strengths." Bly echoes this comment. "Through collaboration we make our message stronger and more effective," Bly says. "From the perspective of SDSU Extension, our partners are also our stakeholders. As the outreach arm of our state's land grant, we rely on our stake- Open Primary Elections Ballot Question Petition Rejected By Secretary Of State to discourage people from drinking and then driving. March checkpoints are PIERRE, S.D. – Secretary scheduled for: Brookings, of State Shantel Krebs Brown, Butte, Codington, announced March 2 that Custer, Davison, Hughes, the petition submitted for Jerauld, Lincoln, Lyman, an initiated amendment to Meade, Minnehaha, PenSave $30 on a Summer AC the South Dakota ConstiTune-Up! nington, Roberts, Stanley, tution establishing open Walworth and Yankton. primary elections was Both the Office of 2012 Chevy 3/4 Ton rejected by her office. Highway Safety and the Silverado Just give us a call and we’ll “My staff have been Highway Patrol are part of 4X4. 6.0 L, Auto, Keyless working diligently to resend the qualified Entry, Cruise Control, 124K, out a Department of Public view petitions,” stated SecSafety. Clean Work Turck Service Technician like retary Krebs. “An Initiated Constitutional Amendment Tyler, to make sure your requires 27,741 valid signaEasy Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad AC unit is ready for those tures in order to be placed on the ballot. This initiated hot summer South Dakota Tyler Reiser constitutional amendment Sudoku #2 days and The right job save $30!* petition included 37,197 Service Technician 605-665-3720 • Yankton, SD is just one signatures. We reviewed a 4 1 13 years experience click away. random sample of sigJamesville Equalization Meeting www.missourivalleyshopper.com natures, and only 68.57 5 6 2 In Print and Online! Call 665-5884 percent (37,197 x 68.57% 9 7 8 4 5 Monday, March 19th, 2018 • 7:00 p.m = 25,505 valid signatures, not meeting the 27,741 held in different counties each month. The checkpoints are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol. The checkpoints are designed PIERRE, S.D. – Sobriety checkpoints are scheduled for 17 different counties during March. That is according to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. The checkpoints are Heavy Duty $15,600 3 5 9 8 1 6 2 8 1 3 Kevin Kirschenman Residence 2 9 7 1 5 4 8 7 6 5 1 3 4 9 All appeals must be filed before 5 6 7 2 9 4 5 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 4 1 1 5 6 9 8 605-387-5756 1 9 1 4 4 4 3 holders for feedback - so we can clearly understand needs to direct our research and programming." The unbiased nature of this team brings with it a credibility many landowners trust, says Selby farmer, Doug Sieck. "As a producer it's tough to sort through the information and data when companies put their own data together," explains Sieck, who helped charter the S.D. Soil Health Coalition in 2015 and recently retired as its president. "When I get information from NRCS or SDSU Extension there is no commercial agenda behind the recommendations and that is important because mistakes are costly and margins are tight." In addition to changing his management practices to no-till, planting cover crops, increasing cropping rotations and diversity and rotating his cattle herd through pastures daily during the growing season - Sieck says getting involved in workshops and seminars focused on soil health introduced him to a community of experts, farmers and landowners who are willing to step outside what is thought of as conventional, to improve soil health. This changed his mind set and the way he thinks about his lifelong career of farming. "Spending time with out-of-the-box thinkers, impacted my attitude about farming. It's a refreshing way to look at what I do," explains Sieck, a fourthgeneration South Dakota farmer. "And, I'm German, so I also like the fact that it's a new way to do things that means I won't have to buy as many inputs." signatures required) were found to be valid.” A rejected petition cannot be challenged to the office of the Secretary of State, however that does not prohibit a citizen from challenging the rejection of a ballot question petition in circuit court. The remaining four petitions will be reviewed by the Secretary of State’s office in the order in which they were received. The South Dakota Legislature also has the ability to include constitutional amendments on the 2018 ballot and South Dakota citizens have the ability to submit a referendum petition concerning laws passed during the 2018 Legislative session. When You Want Comfort...You Want Kalins When You Want Comfort… You Want Kalins! Vermillion: 605-624-5618 *Rebate offer only available to Vermillion Light & Power customers. Call for full details. 69 years as a Premier Lennox® Dealer 96 years in the Business 400 years of Heating and Cooling Experience MV Shopper MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y © 2008 KrazyDad.com © 2008 KrazyDad.com = Your #1 Choice in Yankton! kalinsindoor.com Fill the puzzle so that every row, every column, and every section contain the numbers 1-9 withoutRrepeating a number. Sudoku #4 M I S S O U I VA L L E Y 1 6 1 8 9 2 7 4 6 3 1 1 5 3 Book 65: Answers 4 7 Sudoku #1 3 9 7 5 6 8 7 8 2 9 3 1 5 3 8 2 7 5 9 9 4 6 8 3 1 6 4 8 5 99 8 3 2 9 8 2 1 4 4 2 6 1 7 © 2008 KrazyDad.com 5 7 2 5 4 8 7 9 7 9 8 6 4 5 1 3 9 5 2 8 45 2 7 3 6 12 4 1 7 9 6 4 8 6 6 8 4 7 1 9 5 2 3 easy 1 3 5 6 4 2 8 9 7 Last Tuesday’s Sudoku Solution #3 1 4 2 6 5 7 8 9 6 5 8 1 3 7 8 7 3 2 4 9 6 5 2 6 4 7 1 3 7 8 1 3 9 6 2 4 3 9 5 8 2 1 6 5 7 1 2 4 9 2 9 4 7 3 8 5 3 1 8 9 6 5 4 7 2 Sudoku #5 5 6 1 2 7 4 8 3 8 4 7 6 1 9 2 8 9 7 Sudoku #2 3 5 6 3 3 978 4 6 1 2 3 4 7 8 7 3 2 6 423895 7 6 8 3 9149 1 6 2 3 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 1 8 1 9 6 4 7 6 5 3 8 7 8 5 4 © 20087 4 KrazyDad.com 5 8 ea3 BOOK 265 #4 6 1 9 8 9 5 6 1 4 3 7 2 9 2 9 8 9 4 5 6 7 3 8 1 3 3 1 6 7 9 5 1 4 6 7 4 5 9 1 3 8 1 4 5 2 8 6 2 9 7 3 7 3 9 5 7 4 9 3 2 8 Check next Tuesday’s paper for 6 2 the solution to today’s puzzle. 6 ch The Liberty Z® is specifically designed for the home owner that wants a high-quality mower but does not need a large, commercial-grade unit. 48” cutting deck. 4 7 9 5 1 2 su do ku Sudoku #4 4 9 8 2 1 6 7 1 3 9 3 5 2 6 4 © 2008 5 1 9 7 2 KrazyDad.com 2 8 6 5 3 7 4 3 1 8 1 3 4 9 7 8 6 7 4 5 BOOK 65 9 2 5 8 6 #3 KRAZYDAD.COM/PUZZLES 8 9 3 2 4 5 1 5 Year ty! Warran Challenging Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad 7 Sudoku #6 8 5 1 2 6 Yankton Vermillion Sioux City 605.665.4348 605.624.5618 712.252.2000 4 3,999 $ Green Mountain Grills Hardwood Pellet Grills 549 $ Includes One FREE Bag of Pellets ($14.95 value) Easy as a push of a button sEt it & forGEt it! st of Tyndall on Hwy. 50 Corner of Hwys. 50 and 3 5 miles We 7 www.schuurmansfarmsupply.com Ph. (605) 5 -1113 89-3909 or Cell (605) 464 2-1-17.1. Submission of affidavit challenging petition to secretary of state--Appeal. Within thirty days after a statewide petition for an initiated constitutional amendment, initiated measure, or referendum has been validated and filed, any interested person who has researched the signatures contained on the petition may submit an affidavit to the Office of Secretary of State to challenge the petition. The affidavit shall include an itemized listing of each specific deficiency in question. Any challenge to the following items is prohibited under this challenge process: (1) Signer does not live at address listed on the petition; (2) Circulator does not live at address listed on the petition; (3) Circulator listed a residence address in South Dakota but is not a South Dakota resident; (4) Circulator did not witness the signers; (5) Signatures not included in the random sample; and (6) Petition that was originally rejected. Any challenge by the same person or party in interest shall be included in one affidavit. The original signed affidavit shall be received by the Office of Secretary of State by 5:00 p.m. central time on the deadline date. If the affidavit challenges any item that is prohibited by this section, only that line item shall summarily be rejected. A challenge to a line item is not a challenge to the petition as a whole. The secretary of state's decision regarding a challenge may not be challenged a second time with the secretary of state, but may be appealed to the circuit court of Hughes County. If a person fails to challenge a petition pursuant to this section, it does not deny that person