Rural Youth From Clark, Union, McCook & Charles Mix Counties Win Ag Advocacy Scholarship Contest

By Lura Roti

Advocating for South Dakota's number one industry of agriculture and supporting the next generation of agriculture professionals are important. The Farming for the Future Social Media Scholarship Contest sponsored by South Dakota Farmers Union accomplishes both.

"The future of agriculture relies upon skilled professionals and educated consumers. This is the reason Farmers Union designed this unique scholarship opportunity," explained Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director for South Dakota Farmers Union.

Designed to engage youth in agriculture advocacy, students compete in seven weekly social media challenges. Each week winners are named and students earn points and scholarship dollars based on their ranking. Throughout the contest, South Dakota Farmers Union awarded $15,000 in scholarship dollars to high school and college students from across the state.

"This scholarship contest shows how much Farmers Union cares about youth in agriculture," said Madelyn Caulfield, a second-generation farmer from Clark County and a sophomore pre-vet major at South Dakota State University.

Caulfield placed third overall, receiving $1,500 in addition to her weekly earnings. She and the other winners were announced during the 110th South Dakota Farmers Union State Convention held in Huron December 10 and 11. The other overall Farming for the Future Agriculture Advocacy Scholarship Winners are: first place, receiving $3,000, Kylie Mockler, Clay County; second place, receiving $2,000, Karlie Stiefvater, McCook County; as mentioned earlier, third place, receiving $1,500 Madelyn Caufield, Clark County; fourth place, receiving $1,000, Abbie Chase, McCook County and fifth place, receiving $500, Mallory Gant, Charles Mix County.

"I competed in this contest, not only for the scholarship dollars, but for the experience," explained Mockler, a fifth-generation Beresford cattle producer.

2025 is the second year Mockler participated in the scholarship contest. In addition to placing first overall, Mockler was also named the Social Media Star and she also received the Excellence Award as the only student to receive more than 1,000 points.

"The increase in overall interest by South Dakota students and the caliber of work produced by students was outstanding," said Samantha Bowman, Education Program Specialist for South Dakota Farmers Union. "It is exciting for ag advocacy efforts to expand our reach."

Stiefvater would agree. "Everyone is surrounded by agriculture whether they know it or not - the food we eat, the clothes we wear and what we put in our gas pumps - I advocate for agriculture because I want consumers to know the role agriculture plays in all the products they use. I want them to understand where their food and other ag-based products come from and who is at the start of it - who is doing the work," explained Stiefvater, a fifth-generation Salem farmer who plans on returning to work on her family's farm after graduating from South Dakota State University.

Like Stiefvater, after college Gant also plans on remaining active in her family's farm. A senior at Platte-Geddes High School, Gant said she plans to expand on the ag advocacy efforts she started through the Farming for the Future scholarship contest. "It is important to advocate for the future we want for our family farms and ranches and ag industry, because if we don't advocate today, we don't know what the future will hold."

As an agriculture communications major at South Dakota State University, Chase said that in addition to gaining more hands-on experience in ag advocacy, the contest's weekly social media challenges also taught her about Farmers Union.

"I attended Farmers Union day camps as a youth, but I did not know that Farmers Union also had week-long leadership camps," Chase said. "I enjoyed learning more about Farmers Union as a whole and the work they do for family farmers and ranchers."

#FarmingForTheFuture25

To view social media posts created by students participating in the Farming for the Future Agriculture Advocacy Scholarship Contest visit South Dakota Farmers Union Foundation Facebook page or search #FarmingForTheFuture25. And to learn more about how South Dakota Farmers Union supports rural youth and family farmers and ranchers across the state, visit www.sdfu.org.