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Mike and Laurie Fruechte received the 2025 Pipestone County 4-H Hall of Fame Award on Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Pipestone County Fair. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
Mike and Laurie Fruechte, of Pipestone, received the 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame Award Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Pipestone County Fair.
They said they were humbled and grateful to have been nominated by some of the youth they’ve worked with over the years. Long before they were volunteering and working with those kids, they were 4-H members themselves when they were kids. Years later, their five sons were all in 4-H and now some of their 16 grandchildren are involved in 4-H.
Beyond the family involvement, the Fruechtes have served 4-H in a variety of ways. Most recently, they’ve been volunteering with the general livestock 4-H project bowl and skillathon teams. In those events, the teams practice locally and compete at the regional level. If they win there, they advance to the state level and if they win there they earn a chance to compete at the national level.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have teams that have made it to that national level,” Laurie said.
In November they traveled to Louisville, Ky. with a team of four youth for the national competition. Laurie said it was a great experience.
“When you spend 20 hours in a car riding with teenagers, it keeps you young, and those are some great memories,” she said.
The Fruechtes have also been club leaders, been part of the adopt a lamb program and more. Laurie said there are always opportunities to volunteer in 4-H and she had high praise for the young people involved in the program.
“These kids know how to work, they are self-motivated, you don’t have to tell them what to do all the time,” she said. “They’re problem solvers. These kids are leaders. The kids we have on our team, I’d hire them in a minute, just because of the skills that they have. It’s not just livestock skills. They’re life skills.”
The Fruechtes said 4-H is important to them because of what it provides for the young people involved.
“You can see what it does for developing the youth,” Mike said. “It gives them some leadership skills, it gives them some confidence, and public speaking and decision making.”
While they’re involved primarily in the livestock aspect, Laurie said there are many ways that youth can be involved in 4-H. She and Mike said there are leadership positions on the local, state and national levels; opportunities to learn how to run a meeting; club projects; community service opportunities and more.
The Fruechtes exemplify community service. In addition to 4-H, Mike is involved in the Pipestone County Soil and Water Conservation District, Laurie works part-time at Pipestone Area Schools and they are both involved at St. Leo Catholic Church. They’ve also been involved in Extension, the Pipestone County Fair Board and other activities over the years. They said they like to be involved and believe it’s important to model that behavior for the next generation.
“You should take an active role in your community,” Laurie said. “That’s what builds strong communities, is to have kids and adults working together.”