Teen Farmers Union Camp is celebrating 90 years

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Most teenagers may not plan to spend part of their summer vacation learning how to balance their checkbook, but that’s exactly what a group of teens is doing in the Black Hills.

Farmers Union Camp is celebrating 90 years with more than 40 campers welcomed at Storm Mountain. The week-long camp is for those 13 to 18 years old.

It gives them an inside look at the different agriculture careers from agronomy and meat processing to ag-journalism and food science. Campers create a cooperative business and run it throughout the week with their teams. This year the teams are running housing, insurance, a store, a credit union and a newspaper.

Samantha Olson, the camp’s Education Specialist, said teens come from all over the state to learn the importance of agriculture.

“We try to bring kids in from anywhere across the state just to educate them on leadership and agriculture. We also vocalize the importance that it doesn’t matter where you come from, and anything you do in life always relates back to the agricultural industry and that’s why it’s important to be educated on it,” Olson said.

In addition to running co-ops and learning about various agricultural businesses, campers participate in archery, hiking, campfires, dances and more.

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