2023 Farmers Union Camp Season A Success

Playing in the dirt. This may not be the first thing you think about when you think about summer camp, but nearly 100 rural youth from across South Dakota got their hands dirty planting as they learned about seed germination during Farmers Union Jr. State Camp held July 23-26 at Camp Byron near Huron.

“Kids learn by doing,” explained Samantha Olson, Education Specialist for South Dakota Farmers Union. “At Farmers Union Camp, youth get to participate in all the traditional camp activities like swimming, campfires, camp songs and archery, but because we are an agriculture organization, they also get to learn about the science of seed germination.”

After planting seeds, the learning didn’t stop. Campers toured Agtegra Innovation Center to learn about precision agriculture technology and how it is applied to planting equipment to help farmers maximize production. They also got to take home a science experiment.

“We teach campers about what seeds need to succeed. They take this information and get to choose a planting medium to plant a seed into – cotton ball, sponge or a paper towel and sponge. They took this experiment home with them so that they can continue to learn and think about the science involved in growing food,” Olson explained.

Campers also dissected seeds to learn the scientific names. And using corn and soybean plants, Olson explained the difference between monocots and dicots.

“Because corn and soybeans are some of the main crops grown in South Dakota, using them to explain the science of seeds, plants and ag technology helps campers understand how crucially important all this is to South Dakota farmers,” Olson explained.

In addition to learning about the science of seeds, campers also learned about farm safety and cooperatives.

“We make learning about the cooperative business model fun by play multiple games that show the value in working together to get things done,” Olson said.

Cooperative education, farm safety and the science of seed germination, are also the focus of the day camps South Dakota Farmers Union hosts in cooperation with County Farmers Union Education Directors. These local volunteers work with Olson and her team of education interns to provide a one-day version of the camp curriculum to more than 30 rural communities across South Dakota.

“When we talk about cooperatives, we relate back to where kids live – their local ag cooperative or local gas station convenience store or credit union,” Olson explained. “We partner with many local cooperatives and ag-businesses who explain how their co-op works or help provide farm safety demos.”

For decades the organization has hosted a State Leadership Camp for middle and high school-age youth, but 2023 is the first year South Dakota F a r m e r s Union (SDFU) hosted a Jr. State Camp for youth 9 to 12.

“We did have some reginal camps for younger kids, but camp is more fun when there are more kids,” said Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director of SDFU. “A state camp also allows us to pool our resources so we provide more opportunities to campers and their families. This year we provided transportation to and from camp.”

SDFU also keeps the cost of camp under $100.

“We want camp to be something affordable for rural youth,” Hofhenke said. “Our organization is focused on supporting farm and ranch families and their rural communities. We feel educating rural youth is one of many ways we can do this.”

To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union educational programming, visit www.sdfu.org.

JACs Lead

Jr. Camp gave newly elected JACs and selected Jr. JACs an opportunity to begin putting their leadership skills to work. Let’s hear what some had to say about their new role.

“I enjoyed getting to know the campers and watch them open up and make new friends.” – Cadence Konechne, Kimball

“I enjoyed getting to know the campers’ different personalities and teaching them. I think this Jr. Camp will make many feel more comfortable when they attend State Leadership – I hope many do.” – Sean Thompson, Pierre

“It’s fun. Completely different from being a camper, and it is a bit chaotic, but I really enjoyed working with campers and helping them have a fun time at camp.” – Maddisyn Raymond, Ethan