Learning by doing is a focus of every South Dakota Farmer’s Union youth camp activity

HURON, S.D. – A long line of young campers wait as Londa Nwadike scoops ice, salt, cream and sugar into the resealable plastic bags they each hold. 

“Making ice cream is a fun way to teach about dairy science and I love talking about dairy science because there are so many great careers in the industry and I want to inspire youth to think about them for their futures,” explained Nwadike, South Dakota State University David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head and Professor of Dairy and Food Science. “This activity also helps them make a farm-to-table connection.”

Connecting youth from across South Dakota with education about where their food comes from, farm safety and the cooperative business model are among the reasons South Dakota Farmers Union hosts a Junior State Camp each summer, explained Executive Director Karla Hofhenke.

“Youth are our future,” Hofhenke said. “And because agriculture is our state’s largest economic driver, it is important they understand it and its impact – because whether they grow up on a farm or ranch or live in town, the future of our economy depends on them.”

Camper Keily Lopez said she did not know what ingredients went into ice cream until Nwadike’s demonstration. “It’s nice to know that ice cream has milk in it because milk comes from cows,” said the Plankinton 12-year-old. “I live in town, and I knew milk came from cows, but I didn’t think about it being in ice cream.”

Lopez is one of 118 South Dakota 9-to-12-year-olds who attended Farmers Union Junior State Camp held at Camp Byron near Huron, July 19-22.

Learning by doing is a focus of every camp activity. And 11-year-old Corley Atyeo appreciated this.

“Hands-on makes me feel productive and helpful,” explained Atyeo, who lives on a farm near Clear Lake.

Before making ice cream, Atyeo was helping sell snacks as part of the Camp Store Co-operative. As a member of the store cooperative, Atyeo and the other campers in the Store Co-op priced inventory, created posters to market inventory and spent time selling items to other campers.

“Learning about co-ops is something we started learning about at Farmers Union day camps,” said Ruth Weber, a farm kid from Ethan. “I like that a co-op is not owned by a boss, it is owned by the people who use it.”

This is Weber’s second year to attend Junior State Camp, and this year Weber is a member of the Insurance Cooperative. This cooperative sells cards to campers to help them retrieve items they lose during camp, like water bottles or name tags.

“Cooperatives are a big part of rural communities, so it is good for kids to learn about how they operate,” explained Chord Blotsky, who lives on his family’s cattle ranch near Hidden Timber. The Winner High School freshman is among a group of rural teens who served as camp counselors.

Blotsky and the other teen leaders all attended the Farmers Union Senior Leadership Camp which was held in the Black Hills this June. As a counselor, Blotsky worked as a team with the other counselors to facilitate all camp activities.

“I have been attending Farmers Union Camp since I was little. I have learned a lot about being a role model and serving as a leader from the teens who were my camp counselors,” Blotsky said. “As a counselor, I hope to help the campers have fun.”

According to camper Harper Hill, Blotsky and the other counselors were successful.

“The counselors are outgoing and kind and they really help make camp amazing,” said Hill, a sixth-grader from Lake Preston.

This is Hill’s first year to attend Farmers Union Camp, and she said it’s been fun and helped her gain confidence by overcoming fears.

“I am scared of heights, but I wanted to go on the zipline and do rock climbing,” said Hill, explaining that she got encouragement from her camp counselors and new friends. “I did both and it feels like a big accomplishment.”

Camp friendships are the reason Bennett Schoenfelder keeps returning to Farmers Union Camp. 2026 is his third year.

“I only had one friend the first year I went to camp. My mom said it would be good for me and camp would help me make friends. She was right. I have made so many friends at camp and camp taught me how to make friends at school,” explained the Dimock farm kid. “I realized that with a simple, ‘Hi,’ I can get to know someone new and we can become friends.”

Helping every camper develop confidence and make friends is a goal of each counselor, said Kyle Olson. To help the teen leaders ahead of camp, Farmers Union hosted a leadership development training for them.

“We learned about different personality types, how to identify a camper’s personality and how to relate to personality types that may be different from our own,” explained Olson, a Northwestern High School sophomore. “Understanding campers’ personalities helped us connect with campers. And if you connect with them, they respect you and they are more willing to listen and participate.”

Olson is one of six teens elected to serve on the Farmers Union 2026-2027 Junior Advisory Council. Together with the other members, Olson helped organize the Junior Camp. He and his team will help plan the 2027 Senior Leadership Camp. The other members are Danielle Kruger, De Smet; Logan LaMont, Union Center; Ethan Mutter, Sturgis; Riley Mutter, Sturgis; and Lennox Rumpca, Webster. Several more teens who attended Senior Camp also served as camp counselors.

The leadership skills developed while serving in leadership roles through Farmers Union youth programming helps prepare teens for life’s next steps, said Cadence Konechne.

Konechne graduated as Kimball High School’s valedictorian and will be a freshman at the University of Notre Dame this fall.

“Farmers Union taught me I can reach big and anything I put my mind to is achievable,” said Konechne, who is majoring in political science. “I have met politicians and lobbyists by attending the Farmers Union legislative day in Pierre and the D.C. Fly-In and this exposed me to policy and politics. By meeting them, I realized, even though they are famous, they are normal people. It made their careers not out of reach for someone like me from rural South Dakota.”

Konechne said this understanding gives her confidence as she moves on to attend an elite university.

Sturgis Brown junior Logan LaMont said his involvement in Farmers Union youth programming since he was in elementary school has given him hope for the future. A sixth-generation Union Center rancher, LaMont wants to return to his family’s cattle and sheep ranch after high school.

“Farmers Union taught me how to be a better leader for the ranch and gives me the skills I need to work with others to be successful,” LaMont explained. “As an organization, Farmers Union helps unite farmers and ranchers because they can bring their problems to the membership and through policy the organization can help fix the problems or address concerns.”

The future of South Dakota agriculture is always a focus for the state’s largest agriculture organization. So, farm safety is also a focus of camp programming. It’s a topic that all South Dakota youth need to think about, said 10-year-old William Greene.

“I live on a farm so it’s important that I know how to stay safe so I don’t get a broken arm or die,” Greene said.

His camp friend, 12-year-old Brylen Eastlick does not live on a farm, but many of his friends do. This is the reason the fourth-year camper said he likes learning about how to stay safe on a farm. “I want to help them out on their farms, maybe even work on one of their farms, so it is important I know how to stay safe around tractors.”

To ensure the camp is accessible to all, Farmers Union subsidizes the cost of camp – $95 for non-members and $65 for members. Each camper was able to attend the three-day camp. To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union Youth programming, visit www.sdfu.org.