ALL-STATES LEADERSHIP CAMP

Click here to view, download and order prints of pictures taken at the 2010 NFU All-States Leadership camp!

The campers elected six of their peers to represent them nationwide. Elected to the 2011 National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) were Gina Dethlefsen and Patrick Lowin, S.D., Chandler Winkels, Minn., Kale Havelku and Kayla Wagner, N.D., and Darla Rosenbrock, Colo.  Their first planning session for next year’s camp will be at the fall NFU legislative fly-in!  Then they’ll meet face-to-face with members of Congress

2011 NYAC:

2010 NYAC with NFU President Roger Johnson:

Stephanie Barnhart, Kenmare, N.D., Blake Farber, Britton, S.D., Garrett Kieffer, Arpin, Wis., Renee Pattison, Eau Claire, Wis., Matt Perdue, Ray, N.D., Bailie Ziesch, Pettibone, N.D.

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said at the NFU All-States Leadership Camp banquet on Friday that  he never had a plan to become North Dakota’s Commissioner of Agriculture, but he did build on the leadership abilities he gained in Farmers Union. He grew up on his family’s farm in central North Dakota. He participated in Farmers Union youth camps, attended All-States Camp, was a leader in the county organization, and served on his local farm supply co-op board. His friends in Farmers Union encouraged him to run for Commissioner of Agriculture. Once he decided to enter the race, he never looked back. “Once you make a decision, put everything into it,” Johnson told the campers.   He won re-election bids to the office. When his Farmers Union supporters asked him to consider running for president of National Farmers Union, he made another all-or-nothing commitment. Johnson said the world is run by the people who show up. He called Farmers Union the “most grounded farm organization in the nation.”

2010 NFU All-States Leadership Camp Participants:

This is my most exciting week of the entire summer! – Jordan Svenningsen

To get the experience [of camp], you have to live it. – Sheridan Mitchell

It [camp] has been one of the most emotional times of my life. – Josie Klein

One sentence in a blog cannot describe the way I feel about All-States.  It’s an experience to never be forgotten. – Steph Barnhart

It is the experience of a lifetime. – Chandler Winkels

Camp is neat.  It makes my day every day of the year.  The memories are amazing.  - Camper

Words can’t describe camp.  You have to experience it. – Liz Beach

All-States.  A majestic river flows through the beautiful valley with glowing cliffs towering above.  The ripple of the water sets the background for the wonderful camp songs that drift out of the A-frame.  There could be no more perfect of a place to inspire the power of leadership in the future leaders of our world.  - Krist

All-States Camp has been a life-changing experience and I will never forget all of the wonderful people that I can call my friends. – Gina Dethlefsen

“Summit of Leadership”: The view from a mountaintop above 14,000 feet above sea level is breathtaking and unlike any other vantage point on earth. National Farmers Union Vice President Claudia Svarstad is on a mission to climb to the top of all of Colorado’s “14-teeners,” the mountains whose peaks are above 14,000 feet.  Some climbs are relatively easy, if arduous. Others are dangerous and difficult. By climbing these mountains (she’s halfway to her goal), Claudia has learned a few lessons about life. Before you begin a climb, get the information you need.  “Education is the key to success,” she said. Then, choose the right route and start early.  If things don’t work out as you planned, stop to think things through, especially if you sense you are getting lost. “The climb is hard, but it is exhilarating at the top. They all take strategic thinking and planning.” Trails that can be easy to follow become faint and non-existent toward the top. The higher you climb, the more you rely on yourself. On some days, Claudia has had to accept conditions were not worth the risk and she turned back.  In life, it is important to know when to change your plans. Rarely, she has had climbs during which she simply wanted to give up. “You just keep at it and take that next step.”

Time is measured in more than minutes and months: it is measured in the accomplishments in one’s lifetime. “How much time do you have? None of us really knows,” said William Nelson July 15, to youth attending NFU’s All-States Leadership Camp. “You cannot really save time, but you certainly can make better use of it.” Nelson, president of CHS Foundation, Inc., said young leaders today are living in a world of rapid technological and social evolution worldwide.  Young people need to identify what their purpose will be in life. Nelson challenged the campers to “get involved in things you cannot do alone, and get involved in things you cannot accomplish in your own lifetime.” He said the sooner people focus on what they want to do with their lives, the more time they will have to build on their achievements.

All-States Leadership Camp.  There’s not anything like it.  Sheltered in the beauty of the Colorado Rockies, you get to have one of the most fun and educational times of your life.  From climbing mountains, to relaxing with new friends . . . it’s just an entirely new experience.  One that I never expect to be matched. – Jordan Steffan

Greatest experience ever.   – Kayla Wagner

It’s the best camp that I’ve ever been to.  – Amanda Stevens

Farmers Union camp isn’t just a camp.  It’s a family. – Dylan Moen

We played hard.  We worked hard.  We went out there and got stuff done. – Garrett Kieffer

Whether or not I am elected to NYAC, I walked out of this camp a leader.  – Chandler Winkels

It [All-States Camp] makes me realize who I am.   – Eric Becker

Farmers Union camp is a place where you become an amazing leader who’s okay with being themselves.  – Abby Gebhart

Lots of new, fun and exciting people to get to know. – Josie Klein

The atmosphere is very comfortable.  The speakers are very informal.  I would strongly suggest this camp to anyone. – Zach Peterson

Chandler Goule grew up in a small Texas town. “I went to D.C. mainly to work on ag policy,” he said. Chandler worked for Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota. “That’s where I got my exposure to Farmers Union.” Now NFU’s vice president of government relations, he focuses on developing strategies to advance the farm organization’s policy priorities.  A grassroots organization, the farmers and ranchers who are active in NFU develop policy. Chandler’s job is to work with lawmakers in the House and Senate and officials at USDA to implement those policies. He broke the campers into groups representing the House and Senate, then he explained how a bill can become bogged down in the inevitable political give and take. It becomes a complicated process in the art of compromise.

All-States campers discussed what personal tools a leader needs to acquire and how to use them. Next, they will learn more about continuing to believe in themselves even when the going gets rough.

Who’s really in charge of your life? Shouldn’t it be you? That was the point Gary Matteson made to All-States campers Tuesday, July 13.  Matteson, who works with beginning farmers for the Farm Credit Council, recalled the Sorting Hat used to assign students to one of four houses in the Harry Potter stories. “Is it fair to let someone else choose a goal for you instead of choosing it yourself?” he asked. “How fair is it no to choose a goal at all.” Only 20% of Americans have through of their goals, he said, and only 4% have written them down.  “You can let things happen TO you, or you can make things happen FOR you.”  Matteson told the campers many of them will put their leadership skills to good use someday by serving on community and co-op boards. “No one tells you to do this. You have to see a role for yourself in your community.”

“Don’t let anyone tell you you cannot do something.” – Whitney Walsh

“The friends you meet will be your friends forever.” – Tyler Hokana

“Oodles and oodles of fun. that’s all there is to it.” – Emily Fritel