There’s still time to sign your children up for Farmers Union Camp. With three types of camp available, there’s a fun and engaging option for all South Dakota youth ages 6-18.
“Whether your child attends one of our District Day camps or our Senior or Youth Leadership Camp, our education team has developed programming that will provide fun access to farm safety, cooperative and leadership education,” explained Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director of South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU).
There’s A Farmers Union Day Camp Near You
In 2025 a Farmers Union Day Camp will be held in 54 of the state’s 66 counties. Organized by volunteers in collaboration with SDFU Education Team, all of the day camps have similar agendas that include farm safety and cooperative education, but with their own local twist.
“Because we work with local volunteers to help find speakers from local cooperatives and agri-businesses to help lead the lessons, no day camp is the same,” explained Samantha Bowman, SDFU Education Program Specialist.
Volunteers like Ipswich farmer, Sarah Perrion. Perrion first volunteered to help organize the Edmonds County Day Camp when her oldest daughter, Bexley was 6. She was so impressed with the outcome that she is among many volunteers helping in 2025.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t grow up in Farmers Union. But after I saw the impact attending camp had on Bexley, I knew this was something I wanted to continue to be a part of,” Perrion said. “Bexley is the most timid of our daughters and she made a friend. After camp she kept talking about the farm safety demonstration – to show the dangers of downed wires, the electric cooperative fried a hotdog with a powerline.”
Bexley was not the only youth impacted by the safety demonstration. “By the time we went home for lunch, I had several text messages from other parents letting me know that their kids, “won’t stop talking about what they learned.”
Farm safety for all youth is an important focus of Farmers Union camps, explained Bowman. “As generations continue to get further and further away from the farm, many youth lose the opportunity to learn what is safe from their parents as well as the awareness of how to behave around livestock. However, that does not mean they will not spend time on a friends’ farm or ranch. And many who do not live on the farm still operate small equipment like 4-wheelers. It is important for all South Dakota youth to learn how to be safe.”
Perrion agreed. “Our daughters have a pretty good idea of what they can play on and what they need to stay away from on our farm. But when their cousins visit, we have to keep a close eye on them.”
And Perrion said safety is taught in a way that kids can understand. “One demonstration encouraged kids to wear helmets when they are on a 4-wheeler. They put a helmet on watermelon and dropped the watermelon. Then they dropped a watermelon without a helmet. There was a visible difference.”
In 2024, Bexley’s younger sister, Haddie, joined her at Day Camp. “When she turned 6 she said, “now I can finally go to Farmers Union Camp,” Perrion said.
Perrion’s youngest daughter Elliott, 4 is eager for her opportunity to attend.
Ag Ed in a Traditional camp setting
Seeing all the fun and opportunities his older siblings gained from attending Farmers Union camp is the reason Braxtyn Raymond, 12, attended State Youth Camp in 2024 explained his mom, Betsy.
“I was happy when Braxtyn wanted to attend because Madi and Coltyn each had a really good experience,” said Betsy, who works as a Certified Public Accountant in Parkston. “The older kids absolutely love Farmers Union Camp. And they have had such great opportunities to network and gain leadership skills.”
During State Youth Camp, youth learn about cooperatives because they get to run one. They also learn about an aspect of agriculture. In 2024, Braxtyn and his friends learned about the digestive system of ruminant animals and had the opportunity to tour a veterinary clinic.
In 2025, in addition to cooperatives, youth will learn about renewable and non-renewable resources and the important role farmers and ranchers play in protecting and producing natural resources.
“There are some misconceptions outside of the agriculture world that agriculture hurts the ecosystem or environment, and this just is not the case,” Bowman explained. “Family farmers and ranchers have come a long way in their investment in the land and we want to help youth learn how to share this story.”
Helping teach important agriculture lessons and explain how cooperatives work during State Youth Camp are among the reasons Cadence Konechne enjoys serving as a member of the Junior Advisory Council. In this role, she and other high school teens served as camp counselors, guiding youth through camp activities and programming.
“Teaching and guiding those younger than me is what I enjoy most,” explained Konechne, who is entering her senior year at Kimball High School. “Camp is a great way for kids and teens to learn about agriculture in their daily lives and how we can support and advocate for agriculture.”
In addition to working as State Youth Camp counselors, Konechne and the other teens who serve on the Junior Advisory Council also plan, organize and facilitate State Leadership Camp. Designed for teens, State Leadership Camp is held in the Black Hills. Billy Kezena, one of Konechne’s Junior Advisory Council teammates, said the experience helped him hone several leadership skills, including public speaking and problem solving.
“When planning camp, we need to try and think of every possible challenge and how we can overcome it. For example, last year a camper had an injury and was not able to participate in some of the activities, so this year we thought about this when developing camp activities,” said Kezena, who will be entering his senior year this fall.
Like Kezena and Konechne, Madi Raymond served on the Junior Advisory Council. She was selected to serve as the Senior Advisory Council member after her term on the Junior Advisory Council was up. As she prepares for her freshman year at South Dakota State University, the Ethan resident said attending Farmers Union Leadership Camp helped her develop confidence as well as a large circle of friends.
“Serving in leadership roles helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities to be a leader. It also taught me about the value of teamwork and how to truly listen,” Raymond said.
And Farmers Union motivated her to pursue a degree in agriculture communications and political science. “I have seen the work Farmers Union does advocating for family farmers and ranchers and rural communities across the state and nation,” Raymond said. “I am inspired by this.”
When Raymond was elected to serve on the Junior Advisory Council by her peers during camp, she had to give a speech – all teens who want to serve on the Junior Advisory Council have to deliver a speech in front of all the other campers as part of the election process. And if they are elected to serve as on the Junior or Senior Advisory Council they will give a speech before members attending the annual South Dakota Farmers Union Convention.
“Camp gives teens an environment to implement and practice leadership skills,” Bowman explained. “These are leadership skills that will serve them well as they graduate high school and go on to college and eventually into the career field.”
To sign up to learn more about camp and other educational opportunities, including scholarships, visit www.sdfu.org and click on the Education tab.
