FUEL Empowers the Next Generation of Ag Leadership

When Jason and Kaeloni Latham were asked if they wanted to participate in the 2024 Farmers Union Enterprises Leadership (FUEL) program, they quickly said, “yes!”

“It was an opportunity to help better agriculture, so why not,” said Jason, a fifth-generation Camp Crook rancher.
The Lathams have three reasons they want to improve agriculture: Jaydon,9, Jarrett, 7, and James, 2.

“When you think about the future of agriculture, it does not look good. It is dying. We hear all the time that we are losing family farms and ranches. Up here, in Harding County, you see it all the time. A lot of places are selling,” Jason said. “We look at it this way – if we want our ranch to be around in the future, we need to try and make agriculture better for our kids. We need to step out of our comfort zone and try and do more. And participation in FUEL is definitely stepping outside my comfort zone.”

Sponsored by Farmers Union Enterprises, the organization which oversees Farmers Union Industries, FUEL is designed to strengthen young producers’ leadership and communication skills. FUEL seminars are held throughout the year.

The Lathams are two of 20 young farmers/ranchers sponsored by Farmers Union Enterprises to participate in the 2024 class. Individuals are selected from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin.
“We appreciate the opportunity to be involved in FUEL together,” Kaeloni said. “We have to do this ranch together to make it successful for our kids, so we need to be on the same page and FUEL helps with that.”

In addition to the Lathams, Mission rancher Chaz Blotsky is also participating in the 2024 FUEL class.

“In a time when many agriculture organizations are concerned about the lack of interest in younger farmers and ranchers to take on leadership roles, we feel investing in the next generation is not only valuable to the future of family farming and ranching, but to the future of our organization as well,” explained Doug Sombke, SDFU President.

Leadership in action
The Lathams attended their first FUEL seminar during the 2024 NFU National Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona.
During this first seminar, FUEL members received an overview of National Farmers Union, received parliamentary procedure training, gained insight into their personality strengths and received tips on how to have tough, but necessary conversations.

They also met with NFU President Rob Larew and Vice President Jeff Kippley. Kippley is also Vice President of South Dakota Farmers Union. Kippley credits the FUEL programming he and his wife, Rachel, received with the decision they made to become actively engaged in Farmers Union and ultimately run for an NFU leadership position.

“We enjoyed every speaker,” Kaeloni said. “They were all interesting and the information was useful.”
Blotsky agreed.

Blotsky agreed. “The speakers were cool and eye-opening. I learned a lot about advocating for farmers’ rights, about parliamentary procedure, about myself,” Blotsky said. “This first FUEL seminar gave me additional confidence in myself and my ability to use my voice for agriculture.”

Blotsky got to know Farmers Union as an elementary-age camper. He became a youth leader, serving as a member of the Junior Advisory Council and receiving his Torchbearer Award in 2022. Today, he serves on the Senior Advisory Council.

Participation in FUEL is one more way that Blotsky can remain engaged in the organization he values.
“FUEL gives me a way to stay connected to Farmers Union,” Blotsky said. “It is interesting too, because I learned about parliamentary procedure from Gerri (Eide) when I was a camper, and I got to receive training from her again as a FUEL participant.”

Jason added that it was quite timely to receive training in parliamentary procedure during the National Convention.
“During NFU policy, everything happens so fast and it can be tough to follow it if you don’t understand parliamentary procedure,” Jason said.

Get to know Kaeloni & Jason Latham
Laughter.

This is the response Jason Latham would have given anyone suggesting that he would be working full time on his family’s ranch alongside his dad, Darwin.

“One-hundred percent, I was not going to ranch. I was going to become a teacher,” Jason explained.
But after student teaching, Jason’s confidence in his chosen career path began to wane. He spent a few years working in the oil field and as a wildland firefighter.

And then his grandpa became ill and his dad needed help.

“At the end of the day, ranching is the job I enjoy most because of the sense of accomplishment I get at the end of the day,” Jason explained. “I like looking back and seeing what I’ve done and feeling good about it.”

Kaeloni works off the ranch full time, but when she is home, she enjoys helping Jason with ranch work. She also appreciates the childhood the ranch provides to their sons.

“I love that my kids have chores and responsibilities at their young ages, but also, they can go outside and go wherever they want and I don’t have to worry about them,” Kaeloni said. “There are days when our two older sons will put snacks in a backpack, grab their BB guns and go shoot prairie dogs.”

Get to Know Chaz Blotsky
Chaz Blotsky grew up helping his mom, Kodi, Grandpa Bill Abbot and Uncle Bryan on the family’s ranch near Mission. Over time he’s built up his own herds of cattle and meat goats.

He’s proud to be the fifth generation to raise livestock on his family’s land. In fact, it’s the reason he decided to pursue a degree in agricultural business at Mitchell Technical College.

“I wanted to bring knowledge back to our ranch to help not only me but my entire family,” Blotsky said.
Currently enrolled in marketing classes, Blotsky said he is accomplishing his goal.

“I do not know how I will be connected to my family’s ranch, but I know I will always have some kind of connection to my family ranch, so I want to do what I can to help improve things.”

Involvement in Farmers Union through FUEL is another way Blotsky sees himself expanding his knowledge for a future in agriculture.

“Connecting with family farmers and ranchers from South Dakota and other states helped me realize that we all face similar challenges, but it is not me against the world as a rancher – it is all of us in Farmers Union working together,” Blotsky said.