News@yankton.net RESS PAGE 5 Will It Be A...

BY DR. MIKE ROSMANN

This morning (October14, 2013) as I listened to thegrain markets I heard an ana-lyst predict that corn priceswould drop to $3.25 perbushel forDecemberdelivery.Soybeanprices areexpectedto bearound$13.00 perbushel forMarch2014 de-livery andmillingwheat isexpectedto remain below $7.00 perbushel for much of the re-mainder of 2013.

These were good cropprices a few years back butwell below the recent pricesthat encouraged the opti-mistic rise in farmland pur-chases over the past severalyears. It appears land andcommodity prices areheaded into a downturn andwe could face a recession inthe farm economy.

The smallest number ofcattle on feed for 60 yearsand concerns about reducingethanol and biodiesel fuelproduction are contributingto the lower grain andoilseed markets. Uncertainsales of grains to foreigncountries and the slow re-covery of the U.S. economyalso are factors.

Are we headed for an-other farm crisis? There aresignificant differences fromthe Farm Crisis of the 1980s.Interest rates are lower andmost recent purchasers offarm land and capital im-provements either paid off asubstantial portion of theirinvestment at the time ofpurchase or have locked infavorable loan rates for sev-eral years.

Those in the safest posi-tions financially tend to bediversified producers of live-stock and a variety of cropsand to live outside the Mid-west where land priceshaven’t risen as much as inthe heartland. Organic foodproducers and those whohave substantial incomefrom other activities also ap-pear to be somewhat moreinsulated from economic dif-ficulties than farmers whoproduce corn, wheat andsoybeans.

Some farmers took aplunge and purchased somuch land and equipmentthey put themselves intomarginalized positions ifthey have substantial annualpayment requirements andreduced prospects forenough income solely fromgrain and soybean crops. It ishighly likely we will see someof these farmers faceforeclosure.

Is it the government’sfault? The U.S. Congress hashad a role in contributing tothe economic squeeze be-cause Congress createdsome of the conditions thatencouraged ever larger pro-duction of the major grainsand oilseeds.

The current crop insur-ance provisions appear tomake profits easy to obtaineven if growing conditionsare unfavorable in a badyear. This traces mostly tothe 2008 farm bill, but thetrend toward reliance on gov-ernment programs goes backfurther.

Congress also encouraged

production of ethanol andbiodiesel fuels, mostly in re-sponse to pressures fromcommodity producer groupsand farmer organizations.The U.S. Congress and mostMidwestern state govern-ments also allowed for re-laxed standards ongenetically modified cropsand insecticides that havebeen both a boon to produc-tion but a deterrent in manyforeign markets, some ofwhich have been our bestcustomers in bygone eras.Both the merchants of thehigh technology and somefarm groups have been pro-ponents of these endeavorsand deserve the bulk ofresponsibility.

The Federal Reserve,which is actually not an armof the federal government,set interest rates so low onborrowed money that farm-land purchases and capitalimprovements seemed op-portune. On the other hand,low interest rates could helpmarginalized producersmake their loan paymentseasier.

What does the futurehold? No one knows for sure.As a farmer and behavioralhealth specialist who wentthrough the Farm Crisis ofthe 1980s, I learned hard les-sons that might have mean-ing for the next few years.Adjustment to that crisis haddefined stages that are worthconsidering now.

We will face the immedi-ate future with apprehen-sion. Apprehension is thefirst stage of adjustment formarginalized farmers and animportant stage, for it meansthey recognize impending fi-nancial difficulty. This stageis often fairly long--usuallytwo or more years.

The second stage in-volves growing concernsthat restructuring the farmoperation could be neces-sary. Like the first stage itcan be as lengthy, but duringthis stage distressed farmersbargain with themselvesabout what they can do tosalvage their businesses aswell as to strategize aboutoptions with lenders andothers affected by their farm-ing enterprises. Anxietymounts.

The third stage involvesthe actual restructuring orforeclosure and is the mostdangerous psychologically,because of long-term stresspreceding the decision aboutwhat to do and compromisedjudgment as its emotionaltoll. Often the final decisionis not the farmer’s choice.Emotional fatigue can occur.

The fourth stage, involv-ing steps toward recovery orwhatever changed lifestylefollows the restructuring orforeclosure, is a long hardroad, but usually in the endis happier than constantlyfacing uncertainty andpressures.

The fifth and final stageentails “moving on.” Like mygrandparents who survivedthe Great Depression, andlike many who made itthrough the Farm Crisis ofthe 1980s, we are changedforever. We became frugal,more careful and hardy.

Please tell me what youthink.

Dr. Rosmann no longerraises cattle.Dr. Rosmann is aHarlan, Iowa, farmer and psy-chologist, available at:www.agbehavioralhealth.com.

Sponsored By Lewis & ClarkBehavioral Health

Wednesday, 10.23.13ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net

NEWSROOM: News@yankton.net PRESS DAKOTAN P A G E 5

life

Dr. Mike

ROSMANN

You’ve Been Spotted!

at the Riverfront Event Center

on October 31 3:00-5:00pm

and have your picture taken for

spotted.yankton.net

It may also be the featured photo in Friday’s printed edition.

Rempp-Vazquez Laurie Ann Rempp and Jose

Angel Vazquez III, both of

Bronx, New York, announce

their engagement and

upcoming marriage.

Parents of the couple are

Wayne and Maret Rempp of

Yankton, SD, and Jose and Elsie

Vazquez of Bronx, New York.

The bride-elect obtained

her Bachelor’s Degree from

Adelphi University in 2006

and her Juris Doctorate from

New York Law School in 2010.

She is currently employed at

Snitow Kanfer & Holtzer, LLP.

The groom-elect obtained

his Bachelor’s Degree in 2004

and Master’s Degree in 2006

from Adelphi University. He is

currently employed at Taboola,

Inc.

The couple is planning a

December 7, 2013, wedding at

Most Precious Blood Catholic

Church in New York City, with

reception to follow at Battery

Gardens in New York City.

40th Anniversary Celebration

Mr. & Mrs. John Swensen Mr. and Mrs. John and Vicki

Swensen of Yankton, will cele - brate their 40th wedding anni - versary on October 26, 2013.

Vicki Holec and John Swensen were married October 20, 1973, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yankton, SD.

They have two children; Sarah Swensen of Gayville, SD; and Willie Swensen of Sioux Falls, SD. They also have three grandchildren: Blake, Kalie, and Taylor.

Friends and family are invited to an open house on October 26, 2013, at 2 p.m. at the Capitol Replica Building, Riverside Park, Yankton, SD.

The couple requests no gifts.

Will It Be A RoughTime For Farmers?

Are Bladder Control Issues Treatable?BY SANDY COPE Physical Therapist, Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

Urinary incontinence, or involun-tary loss of bladder control, is experi-enced by fifty to sixty percent ofindividuals at some point in their lives.This condition affects men and womenalike and is most prevalent in womenwho are three to six months postpar-tum, individuals who are experiencingback pain or have had back, pelvic orabdominal surgeries, and men andwomen over the age of 50.

Urinary incontinence is a debilitat-ing condition that can leave individu-als feeling socially isolated. Manypeople wrongly assume that urinary in-continence is normal for their condi-tion. Even if an individual has beendiagnosed with fibromyalgia, multiplesclerosis, organ prolapsed, stroke,Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s dis-ease, urinary incontinence is oftentreatable.

The most common types of urinaryincontinence include:

Stress incontinence — the loss ofurine when you exert pressure on yourbladder by coughing, sneezing, laugh-ing, exercising or lifting somethingheavy. Stress incontinence occurswhen the sphincter muscle of the blad-der is weakened.

Urge incontinence — a sudden, in-tense urge to urinate, followed by aninvoluntary loss of urine. With urge in-continence, you may need to urinatefrequently, including throughout thenight. If there is no known cause, urgeincontinence is also called overactivebladder.

Mixed incontinence — a combina-tion of stress and urge incontinencesymptoms.

Conservative treatment options areavailable for the treatment of urinaryincontinence. According to the Ameri-can Physical Therapy Association(APTA), proper preventive measuresand treatment by a physical therapistcan help patients manage, if not allevi-ate, this condition.

A trained physical therapist is able

to develop an individualized treatmentprogram for each patient. Treatmentmay include exercises to strengthenand re—educate pelvic muscles as wellas nutrition and lifestyle education tooptimize bladder health.

For more information on physicaltherapy treatments available for uri-nary incontinence call (605) 668-8268.

Sandy Cope, physical therapist atAvera Sacred Heart Hospital, has com-pleted coursework and training in therehabilitation of pelvic muscle dys-function, including treatment and man-agement of urinary incontinence andbowel control, pregnancy and postpar-tum therapy, and neurological disor-ders affecting body movement andfunction.

———Sources include:American Physical Therapy Associ-

ation (www.apta.org)Phoenix Core Solutions

(www.phoenixcore.com)Mayo Clinic Online (www.may-

oclinic.com)

RBD Scouts Donation

SUBMITTED PHOTOThe Riverboat Days Board of Directors recently made a $1,000donation to Boy Scout Troup #102 for their work handlinggarbage and recycling during this year’s festival. Senior PatrolLeader, Dylan Klimisch and Assistant Senior Patrol LeaderThomas Hill accepted the donation from Riverboat Days repre-sentatives John Kraft and Mike Gullikson.

AAA Launching ContestSIOUX FALLS — To en-

courage parents to sharetheir wisdom with youngerdrivers, AAA is launching anational contest solicitingthe best driving advice thatparents can give teen driv-ers. Contest entries can besubmitted at Contest.Teen-Driving.AAA.com from Oct.21 through Dec. 11.

Parents who make suretheir teen drivers get prac-tice behind the wheel in avariety of traffic situationsare helping their teens be-come safer drivers, accord-ing to research studies fromthe AAA Foundation forTraffic Safety

While on the contestwebsite, parents also havea chance to challenge theirown driving smarts by tak-ing the “Are You Smarterthan Your Teen Driver?”quiz.

“Teens continue to havethe highest crash rate ofany age group,” said Mari-lyn Buskohl, spokeswoman

for AAA South Dakota. “It’scritical that parents stay in-volved in their teens’ driv-ing lives and effectivelyincrease their level of safetyon the road.”

Contest rules:1. Entry must answer

and complete all postedquestions including both abest and worst driving ad-vice to be entered into thecontest for judging.

2. The following prizeswill be awarded for the bestreceived submissions of thefollowing question: What’sthe best advice you cangive to a teen driver?

• First Prize: iPad mini(estimated value: $329)

• Second Prize: a $100Visa gift card

• Third Prize: a $50 Visagift card

3. The winners will beannounced and contactedby Dec. 16, 2013.

For more information,call (605) 221-1624.

Transition & BondFinancing Offered

PIERRE — The BeginningFarmer Bond programthrough the South Dakota De-partment of Agriculture(SDDA) is available for eligi-ble beginning farmers to pur-chase agricultural land atlower interest rates.

“The Beginning FarmerBond program is a great wayfor a beginning farmer to buyland, but it’s also advanta-geous for a retiring farmerthat would be willing to enterinto a contract for deed withthat beginning farmer,” saysTerri LaBrie, finance adminis-trator with the South DakotaDepartment of Agriculture.

Typically, the BeginningFarmer Bond program worksthrough a local lender; how-ever, if retiring farmers areinterested in passing on theirland to a beginner farmer, theinterest off that contract saleis federally tax exempt, pro-viding substantial savings tothe seller.

“Regulations prohibit thistype of transaction withclosely related parties suchas parents or grandparents,”says LaBrie.

The SDDA administersthe Beginning Farmer Bondprogram through the ValueAdded Finance Authorityboard. The board meetsmonthly and reviews the ap-plications for the programand issues the bonds for ap-proved projects.

To be eligible for the pro-gram, an applicant must beat least 18 years old and aresident of South Dakota,have a net worth of under$400,000 and cannot own orpreviously have owned morethan 30 percent of the countymedian acres.

The maximum amount ofa beginning farmer bond is$501,100 for calendar year2013. This limit is set annu-ally by the federal govern-ment. There is no upper agelimit and there is no limit onoff-farm income.

“With rising land costsand a $501,100 limit on thebond, this is only one pieceof the puzzle,” says LaBrie.“But it’s an important pieceof that puzzle that may pro-vide the tax incentive to thatcontract seller; as well asbetter terms for that begin-ning farmer to have the op-portunity to start their ownfarm.”

SDDA does not financeoperating expenses or refi-nance prior debt. However,other programs are availablefor the purchase of livestock,dairy financing, feedlot fi-nancing, grain storage andvalue-added businesses.

Program information canbe found at sdda.sd.gov orby calling SDDA, Division ofAgricultural Development at605-773-5436.

It’s Nat. Radon Action WeekOct. 21-27 is National

Radon Action Week (thethird full week in October)according to the EPA.Health agencies throughoutthe United States havejoined forces to promoteawareness of the leadingcause of lung cancer fornon-smokers. The AmericanLung Association, Centersfor Disease Control, and Na-tional Cancer Institute allagree that radon is a Na-tional health problem andencourage radon testingduring the October aware-ness drive.

Radon is a naturally-oc-curring, invisible and odor-less radioactive gas. One in15 American homes con-tains high levels of radon.Millions of Americans areunknowingly exposed tothis dangerous gas. In fact,a recent study by HarvardUniversity ranks radon asAmerica’s No. 1 in-homehazard. By taking simplesteps to test your home forradon and fix if necessary,this health hazard can beavoided.

Radon gas is not isolatedto certain geographicalareas or home types. Radon

problems have been de-tected in homes in everycounty of the U.S. It causedmore American fatalitieslast year than carbonmonoxide, fires, and hand-guns combined! If a homehasn’t been tested forradon in the past two years,EPA and the Surgeon Gen-eral urge you to take action.Contact your state radon of-fice for information on lo-cating qualified test kits orqualified radon testers.

The federal commitmentmade by EPA, the GeneralServices Administration,and the departments ofAgriculture, Defense, En-ergy, Health and HumanServices, Housing andUrban Development, Inte-rior, and Veterans Affairswill focus efforts on radonreduction and mitigation inhomes, especially those oflow-income families, manyof whom do not have the re-sources to make the simplefixes necessary to protecttheir homes and lovedones.

Learn more about theFederal Radon Action Planat www.RadonPlan.org.

MMC HalloweenCarnival Set For Oct. 31

For more than 20 years,Mount Marty College stu-dents have been hosting anannual Halloween Carnivalfor Yankton area children.This year, with the renova-tions being made for the Sci-ence Center Complex, aHalloween in the Halls eventwill be held in its place. Thepublic is invited to partici-pate on Thursday, Oct. 31,from 6-8 p.m. in Corbey Hallon the Yankton campus.

A variety of games,

activities and treats for allare planned.

This event is free andopen to the public with pub-lic parking available to thewest of the ScholasticaLearning Center (SLC) build-ing.

For more information onthe event, contact MountMarty College Director ofResidence Life and CampusSafety, Sonja Olson, atsonja.olson@mtmc.edu or605-668-1619.

Nursing Career Open House Oct. 28The Mount Marty College

department of nursing willbe hosting a nursing careersopen house at 7 p.m. Mon-day, Oct. 28, in the RoncalliWelcome Center on the Yank-ton campus.

The open house will high-light careers that may be ob-tained through an array ofdegree options: LPN, BSN,MSN, and beyond. Anyone

interested in nursing careersis encouraged to attend.

For more information onthe nursing department atMount Marty College, visitwww.mtmc.edu/nursing orcontact Carol Stewart for in-formation specific to theopen house at carol.stew-art@mtmc.edu or 605-668-1511.