Broadcaster Press 5 August 15, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com Graduating College, Career And Life Ready By Gov. Dennis Daugaard It’s hard to believe my oldest grandchild is starting kindergarten this year. With a week-and-a-half left before his first day, Henry is looking forward to starting school. Even though it’s been a while since I was in the classroom, I’ve learned a few things as a parent, public servant and now, grandfather. I know how crucial education is to individual achievement and how, particularly during high school, planning and forming good habits can help students succeed. For high schoolers and their parents, I have three tips to share for the upcoming school year. First, don’t underestimate the importance of showing up. Some absences cannot be avoided, and that is understandable. Sometimes, though, absences add up without students and families noticing. Research tells us that missing just 10 percent of a school year negatively impacts student achievement. That breaks down to missing only two or three days of school a month. So it’s easy to see how those absences can accumulate, yet escape families’ attention. This tip applies beyond just high schoolers, as it is important to build good attendance habits from the beginning. In the earliest grades, good attendance is a strong predictor for whether students will be proficient readers. By middle school, chronic absence puts students at risk of not graduating. In fact, by 9th grade, a student’s attendance record is an even better predictor of graduation rates than are 8th grade test scores. Second, high school juniors and seniors should consider dual credit options. Dual credit courses allow students to simultaneously earn high school and college credit. For those with busy schedules or who live in rural areas, dual credit courses can be taken online. At only $48.33 per credit hour, these courses provide students and their families significant cost savings. These are the cheapest university or technical school credits a student will ever take, and they can save hundreds of dollars by taking just one course. Last year, South Dakota students saved more than $4.4 million by using this program – averaging more than $1,000 per student in savings. And last, enjoy the present but think about the future. High school is the time to start thinking about career paths. High schoolers should explore different fields by taking advantage of internships, job-shadowing opportunities and hands-on learning experiences. They need to begin to weigh their interests, goals, and abilities, and to consider what jobs are available and what paths will lead to employment. The goal of our education system is to successfully prepare students for college, career and life. Whether they go on to one of our state’s public universities, technical institutes or right into the workforce, we want students to graduate with a plan in place for taking their next steps. Consistent attendance, dual credit and job exploration can help lay the foundation for that to happen. Standing Strong Against Foreign Aggression By Sen. Mike Rounds Today, as threats to the United States continue to grow across the globe, it is important to remind ourselves that we remain the strongest, most powerful country in the world and can face any challenge presented by America’s enemies. The U.S. military is the most sophisticated and capable fighting force the world has ever seen, and, with continued support from Congress and the president, can regain the required level of readiness lost during years of underfunding. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I’m extremely proud of our ability to come together to support our troops and their missions each year. Recently, news broke that North Korea has allegedly developed a nuclear warhead that could be mated to a missile and reach United States soil. Many Americans are rightly concerned about this development. In response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons initiatives, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to approve new, global sanctions against North Korea. This came shortly after Congress passed and President Trump signed into law an expanded set of sanctions against hostile actors, to include North Korea. While the United States is capable of taking military action against those wishing to do us harm, sanctions can be a helpful tool we can use to deter and respond to destabilizing, dangerous behavior without the risks associated with a military response. The United States has a long history of using sanctions as a tool of foreign policy, and I support its use as a peaceful attempt to apply pressure to rogue nations. Further, if North Korea takes steps toward becoming a more responsible actor in the international community, the U.S. and international comGet your ad in the.. munity could reward such behavior by rolling back selected sanctions. A successful implementation of sanctions on North Korea will require international cooperation, especially from China. Specifically, these sanctions would directly affect North Korea’s senior leadership and their supporters. However, we must keep all options on the table as we continue our efforts to stabilize and de-escalate dangerous situations, including that with North Korea. As I’ve said many times before, the defense of our nation is the primary responsibility of the federal government. The North Korean regime has threatened the United States and our allies countless times, and we must continue to send a strong message that aggression will not be tolerated. But the Korean peninsula isn’t the only area in which we must keep a careful watch on rogue actors. Elsewhere in the world, Iran continues to violate international restrictions prohibiting ballistic missile testing and illicit arms transfers. Russia has invaded Ukraine and, in violation of international law annexed the Crimean peninsula. It also brazenly engages in cyberattacks, as exemplified by their efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The recent sanctions legislation that President Trump signed into law punishes both of these nations, in addition to North Korea, for their continued aggressive, destabilizing behaviors. Earlier this summer, I wrote about the importance of rebuilding our armed forces and promoting ‘Peace Through Strength,’ a philosophy implemented by President Ronald Reagan to successfully end the Cold War in the 1980s. Now more than ever, we must be prepared to use our military strength along with non-military measures to deter aggression and, if deterrence fails, make certain that attacks on our country or our allies are soundly defeated. It’s Been Dry… By Rep. Kristi Noem It’s been dry to say the very least. Every county in the state has experienced this year’s drought to some degree, with many facing severe or extreme conditions. Well over half of South Dakota’s wheat is in poor or very poor condition, as is most of our barley, oats and alfalfa. Corn and soybeans are hurting too. Meanwhile, many pastures have been brown for some time, leaving ranchers with a severe feed shortage and forcing many to downsize their herds. Every farmer and rancher understands agriculture is a risky business. You can have good crops for a decade, but one or two bad years can change everything. Times like this underscore the importance of providing a safety net to those who maintain our food supply. Earlier this month, I joined members of the House Agriculture Committee for a Farm Bill listening session where these safety nets were a primary focus. During the 2014 Farm Bill debate, I fought hard as a member of the final negotiating team to strengthen crop insurance and make the Livestock Forage Program permanent, because ranchers should have some certainty about the safety nets available when drought conditions leave wheat heads unfilled and pastures bare. At the same time, taxpayers deserve certainty too. By building safety-net programs like this into the budget rather than doing crisis-by-crisis emergency spending, we can better predict financial needs and avoid deficit spending. Additionally, I’ve been pleased to see Secretary Perdue incrementally open South Dakota’s CRP acres for haying and grazing, following a request I made to do so. He also allowed for certain CRP contract holders to donate their hay to livestock producers in drought-stricken counties. This relief was needed, but I believe this is an area where ranchers ought to have more certainty. In late July, I introduced the Donations in Rough Years (DRY) Act. This bill would permanently allow the hay harvested on certain CRP acres to be donated to ranchers struggling to meet their feed needs. Droughts and fires can leave thousands of acres bare, while farmers and ranchers elsewhere are forced to destroy good hay. There’s just no reason feed should be wasted. The DRY Act offers a commonsense solution. More specifically, the bill would allow for hay harvested in line with CRP management practices to be donated to ranchers suffering from a severe drought (categorized as D2 on the U.S. Drought Monitor) for eight weeks or an extreme drought (categorized as D3) for any length of time. If a presidential disaster is declared due to fire, ranchers would also be eligible to receive donated hay. Too often, the federal government waits until a situation gets bad before figuring out how to deal with it. In situations where days matter – such as in the midst of a drought-induced feed shortage – relief can come too late. We should be more proactive. 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