Our Rural Identity
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Friday, 4.3.15 ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net views VIEWS PAGE: [email protected] PAGE 4A PRESS&DAKOTAN The Press Dakotan THE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUndED 1861 Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078 CONTACT US We Say PHONE: (605) 665-7811 (800) 743-2968 Name Game NEWS FAX: THUMBS UP to the officially renaming of the base- (605) 665-1721 ball field at Yankton’s Riverside Park to Tereshinski ADVERTISING FAX: Stadium at Riverside Field. The matter was inked (605) 665-0288 Monday, with the field renamed to honor Bob WEBSITE: Tereshinski, the longtime Mount Marty baseball www.yankton.net coach, former Yankton College baseball star and ––––– all-around booster of the sport. The agreement was SUBSCRIPTIONS/ signed in a ceremony held on the brand new field turf that makes up CIRCULATION the infield, which is a great plus and something that a lot of teams Extension 104 and are players already appreciate. The renaming pays tribute to a [email protected] passionate baseball champion in every sense. Our only quibble may CLASSIFIED ADS be that the entire name is a bit of a mouthful; perhaps we should Extension 108 just call the facility “The Turk” (which was Tereshinski’s nickname) [email protected] and call it good. But no matter — congratulations to all involved for NEWS DEPT. this splendid name change. Extension 114 [email protected] SPORTS DEPT. Onward! Our Rural Identity Extension 106 THUMBS UP to Onward Yankton’s announcement BY KELLY HERTZ That math dictated that there were also a lot of [email protected] of a contest to find Yankton’s next big idea. The ADVERTISING DEPT. [email protected] farm operations across the countryside. contest, announced Wednesday, shows forward It’s different now. While agriculture is still Extension 122 thinking by engaging the youth of the community to Farming is still the life blood of our Midwest- doing big business, there are fewer family farms [email protected] help develop the area and keep our youth local af- ern existence. If you ever have a doubt about and, thus, fewer farmers. And there are fewer BUSINESS OFFICE ter graduating high school. The results have already that notion, literally every press release from the farm kids and fewer chances for town kids to Extension 119 been overwhelming with more than 100 submis- state Department of Agriculture ends with the interact with farming life. [email protected] sions in less than 36 hours. Engaging our youth was a brilliant idea boilerplate statement stating that “Agriculture This has been a long time developing. In 1925, NEW MEDIA: that will show dividends in the future. is the state’s No. 1 industry ...,” just to remind there were more than 79,000 farm operations Extension 136 you. And that, coupled with the sea of farmland in South Dakota; by 1960, it was down to about [email protected] spilled all across these plains, should 55,000; today, there are about 31,000. COMPOSING DEPT. Restoration state the case very clearly. That trend says a lot. The land doesn’t go away, of course, as indicated by Extension 129 THUMBS UP to the Charles Mix County Lake But these are different times, and [email protected] even something so essential to our the sprawling big operations. Only the Restoration Organization for its continued progress rural living as agriculture can struggle farmers do. * * * on a $2.3 million upgrade to a portion of the Lake with identity issues. That’s why we now find ourselves Andes Lake. The planned improvements include an MANAGERS Perhaps that was evident in a pro- needing programs like those hosted by education center, playground set, trails and other gram held on a Mission Hill farm earlier the Nelsens: to introduce kids to farm- Gary L. Wood assets. This project represents just the first of what ing right in their own backyards. Publisher this week, in which school children supporters envision as improvements to the lake’s were taken out of their classrooms and The notion of “understanding where Michele Schievelbein three sections. brought to the ag operation to get a food comes from” used to be an educa- Advertising Director first-hand look at how the business of tional mission intended for inner-city farming works. Kelly kids. Now, it’s being done to promote Tonya Schild Play It Safe As Cindy Nelsen, who owns the farm the fact to kids who live just a few Business Manager HERTZ moments from a cornfield or a cattle THUMBS DOWN with her husband Chris, pointed out, to those who are using the new “We show (the kids that) food doesn’t operation. Michael Hrycko 80 mph speed limits on South Dakota’s interstate Circulation Director come from the store.” There is no one really to blame for highways as a “suggestion.” Authorities say they She added that her kids, who attend Yank- this, nor is there any reason to pass judgments Tera Schmidt plan strict enforcement of the higher speed limits, ton’s Beadle School, were often among the few on those kids who really don’t know much about Classified Manager particularly with the increased safety concerns such kids in the school who were from a farm. where food originates, why those crops are in as texting while driving and the need to allow more Those statements fascinated me, for they the fields or what that smell is in Yankton when Kelly Hertz distance between vehicles traveling higher speeds. Editor hit me as telling observations about the state of there is a wind from certain directions. Enjoy your ride but play it safe! agriculture in the 21st century. Instead, it’s just a statement of what rural James D. Cimburek Let’s go back briefly to the last century: America has become. It’s still a big industry, but Sports Editor When I was growing up in Menno several a sparsely populated people. years ago, there weren’t too many mysteries Efforts to introduce kids in South Dakota to Beth Rye the nuts and bolts of agriculture are good pro- New Media Director about farming. There was no missing the fact that we were in small rural town nestled in the grams. After all, in a state where farming is a $25 Kathy Larson agricultural heartland. The cattle trucks that billion business and there are an estimated five Composing Manager ONLINE OPINION rumbled into town each week for sale day at the head of beef cattle for each human resident, it’s livestock barn and the trucks hauling grain to the good to understand the industry to some degree. Kristina Tunink The results of the most recent Internet poll on the Press & Dakotan’s Web site are elevators, located just a block off the business Getting kids to understand agriculture is District Manager as follows: district, told the tale. fine. Getting them to know it, to experience it * * * LATEST RESULTS: But perhaps more importantly, every class in and, subsequently, to appreciate it firsthand is our school — and in every school in our region becoming harder to do because the everyday op- DAILY STAFF Who do you think will win the NCAA men’s basketball championship? Kentucky ...................................................................................................................37% — had a large number of farm kids in them. As a portunities are dwindling. And that may say a lot Melissa Bader Wisconsin .................................................................................................................36% result, many of us town kids visited farms a lot. about the problems that agriculture really face in Cassandra Brockmoller Duke .........................................................................................................................19% It was simply part of our interactive lives. Those the years ahead. Brandi Bue Michigan State ..........................................................................................................8% kinds of personal connections exposed us to Rob Buckingham TOTAL VOTES CAST ...............................................................................................262 agriculture constantly and, for lack of a better You can follow Kelly Hertz on Twitter at twit- Caryn Chappelear The Press & Dakotan Internet poll is not a scientific survey and reflects the opinions word, accidentally. ter.com/kelly_hertz/. Discuss this story at www. Randy Dockendorf only of those who choose to participate. The results should not be construed as an ac- However, that was back in a day when there yankton.net/. Jeannine Economy curate representation or scientific measurement of public opinion. were a lot of farmers and farm families around. Jordynne Hart ——— Jeremy Hoeck CURRENT QUESTION: Sarah Lynde Shauna Marlette Do you think the Minnesota Twins will finish above .500 this year? Point Of View Robert Nielsen To cast your vote in the PRESS & DAKOTAN’S Internet poll, log on to our website Diana Smallwood at www.yankton.net. Cathy Sudbeck Sally Whiting IN HISTORY JoAnn Wiebelhaus Preparing For A Dry Year Brenda Willcuts By The Associated Press by the BBC that the Roman Catholic Today is Good Friday, April 3, the 93rd church in Ireland had lost all credibility * * * BY GOV. DENNIS DAUGAARD ground in putting out the fire. As day of 2015. There are 272 days left in the because of its mishandling of abuse by I write this, the size of the Sheep Published Daily year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins priests. White supremacist Eugene Ter- R-South Dakota at sunset. reBlanche, 68, was bludgeoned to death Draw Fire is now estimated at Monday-Saturday Today’s Highlight in History: On on his South African farm in a dispute with It’s only April and it’s already looking like it almost 14,000 acres, but thanks Periodicals postage April 3, 1865, Union forces occupied the black farm workers over wages. Connecti- will be a dry year. to local firefighters, the state Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. cut senior Tina Charles was the runaway Division of Wildland Fire and paid at Yankton, South On this date: In 1860, the legend- choice as The Associated Press’ women’s Right now, 99 percent of the state’s ground is Dakota, under the act of ary Pony Express began carrying mail college basketball player of the year.