Farmers Union Camp Provides Agriculture’s Next Generation Leadership & Professional Development

by Lura Roti

The Black Hills saw teens from rural communities across South Dakota gather for South Dakota Farmers Union State Leadership Camp June 8-13.

2025 marks the third summer Riley Mutter attended, and the Sturgis Brown High School sophomore said it was the best camp yet. “I made a lot of new friends and enjoyed seeing old friends who I met at camp last summer,” Mutter said.

He explained that in addition to gaining friends from across the state, State Leadership Camp helped him develop confidence. “I used to have really bad social anxiety. It was so bad I could not look peoplein the eye.” Farmers Union Camp helped me grow out of this. And this year at camp, I liked watching other campers come out of their shells.”

South Dakota Farmers Union Education Program Specialist, Samantha Bowman was happy to hear Rutter’s comments because State Leadership Camp is designed to provide rural youth with experiences, resources and training necessary to enhance their personal and professional development.

“Farmers Union understands that youth are our future and our future leaders,” Bowman said. “Leadership is not just about commanding a room, it is about being on the same playing field, working together and helping other individuals realize success.”

Farmers Union State Leadership Camp agenda was packed with fun team activities, teen-run cooperatives, camp traditions and opportunities for teens to put the leadership skills they develop into action, explained 17-year-old Billy Kezena, a member of the Junior Advisory Council.

Under Bowman’s guidance, the Junior Advisory Council organizes, facilitates and runs camp. Elected by their peers or selected through an interview process during the 2024 Leadership Camp, these teens spend a year planning and participating in team building and personal development trainings.

“It takes a lot of teamwork and communication to plan State Camp and serve as a counselor, so I gained a lot of skills in teamwork and communication serving on this team,” Kezena said. “As I have researched future careers, it seems these are the skills that employers are looking for.”

To campaign to serve on the Junior Advisory Council, Kezena and his teammates had to give a speech in front of all the other campers.

Chase Blotsky, who served with Kezena, said after attending State Camp for three years, he had the confidence necessary to speak in front of a crowd. And in his role on the Junior Advisory Council and as a camp counselor, he said it was his goal to help other campers gain confidence as well.

“State Leadership Camp helped me be able to talk in front of people and not be nervous,” Blotsky explained. “I wanted to help new campers have fun and gain the confidence necessary to make friends and even do public speaking.”

The other teens who served with Blotsky and Kezena on the 2024-2025 Junior Advisory Council were Brooke LaMont, Union Center; LizBeth Crosby, Pierre; and Cadence Konechne, Kimball.

During camp, the 2025-2026 Junior Advisory Council was elected and selected, they are Allison Schulz, Lennox; Avril Fletcher, Highmore; Chase Blotsky, Hidden Timber; Coltyn Raymond, Ethan; Dani Kruger, De Smet; and Ethan Mutter, Sturgis. These youth will serve as counselors during the upcoming Farmers Union Jr. State Camp held at Camp Byron near Huron July 20-23. Turn to page 5 to meet these young leaders.

Inside look at ag careers

With a look to the future, campers heard from several agriculture professionals who provided them with an inside look at their careers.

“I enjoyed learning about all the professions you can have in agriculture,” said 13-year-old Aaron Kippley.

Kippley lives on his family’s Aberdeen farm, and said he had fun learning from ag influencer Greg Peterson. Peterson was among the first farmers and ag advocates to gain a following on social media. He shared about his advocacy and professional journey and encouraged campers to advocate for agriculture.

In addition to Peterson, campers learned about creative marketing from Nisland rancher Gwendolyn Kitzan.

They also learned about the history of cooperatives in South Dakota from Wayne Soren, a Lake Preston farmer and cooperative board member. Soren also served as Vice President of South Dakota Farmers Union for many years before retiring in 2023.

Bowman said connecting campers to agriculture professionals is among the goals of State Leadership Camp. “What a great opportunity for teens to learn about possible careers in agriculture from the professionals actively involved in the careers. These professionals were able to share about the challenges and perks of their jobs and answer questions. Camp also provided the ag professionals with an opportunity to connect with the next generation, and see how great the generation stepping up is.”

To learn more about Farmers Union educational programming or to sign up for the upcoming Jr. State Camp, visit www.sdfu.org and click on the Education link.