MFU Recipient of $22k CHS Foundation Grant

from Montana Farmers Union

A $22,000 cooperative education grant from the CHS Foundation will help campers experience cooperatives and agriculture this summer during the Montana Farmers Union Summer Camp programs.

“The CHS Foundation has been a longtime sponsor of MFU Education Programs, and we are extremely grateful for their continued support,” said Violet Green, education director for MFU.

The grant is part of the CHS Foundation’s Cooperative Education Grants Program. As the direct grant making arm of CHS, the largest farmer-owned cooperative, the CHS Foundation supports dozens of projects each year that help students learn about the agricultural cooperative business model. The MFU camp program is one of six state cooperative camps the CHS Foundation supports to give students an immersive experience to learn about cooperatives, all while having fun.

Each summer, roughly 250 kids participate in MFU camps held at Arrowpeak Lodge outside of Highwood, and the CHS Foundation’s longtime support of the programs makes the experience fuller than it could be otherwise.

“The funding really helps us be innovative and try to get these kids into the agriculture field, thinking in different ways, and being leaders in their communities,” Green said.

This year, the camp theme is “Dancing Under the Stars” and features interactive activities such as dancing, leadership development, guest lectures, hiking, and agriculture-based lessons.

“Along with that, we’re redoing our cooperative lesson, which will allow them to actually create cooperatives on their own up at camp that they could take back to their communities or to their families,” Green said.

Camp registration is now open and will close two weeks before each respective camp begins.

For more information, including a camp schedule, people can go to https://montanafarmersunion.com .