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.
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Categories: South Dakota, General