Kids Corner: The Kooiker Family

Jada Kooiker
15 years old
Ninth Grade

When do you do chores? I feed baby calves at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding the baby calves, and my least favorite chore is scooping snow out of the calf huts.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? Other than the dairy, I enjoy everything horses.

Tell us a fun memory you have of living on the farm. I enjoy helping name the milk cows.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? Tell us about it. My favorite animal on the farm is Molly. She is a milk cow and she always comes up to the feed bunk to let us pet her. We named her when she was a premature calf.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a rancher when I grow up.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. My farm would have a big white farm-house and a big red barn with a lot of horses, cows and dogs.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? My favorite game to play on the farm is hide and seek on the Honda side-by-sides.

What is your favorite Christmas food? My favorite Christmas food is prime rib.

What do you like to do on the farm during Christmas break? I plan to go sledding over Christmas break.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? Any vacation off the farm is fun.

Are you involved in activities? I’m in 4-H. I like to work with my animals and learn new things about them.

Zoey Kooiker
12 years old
Sixth Grade

When do you do chores? I help with chores in the mornings and afternoons.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is milking cows. My least favorite chore is helping dry cows up because we have to catch them, and it is hard sometimes.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? I like to help make the meals during chopping time.

Tell us a fun memory you have of living on the farm. Sometimes, we get to bring the baby calves home, and I like to bottle feed them.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? Tell us about it. My favorite animal is our dog, Mesa. She is cute and has a lot of energy.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a mom.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. On my farm, there will be an older farmhouse with a lot of old barns filled with cows, horses, dogs and cats.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? My favorite game is hide and seek on the Honda side-by-sides.

What is your favorite Christmas food? My favorite Christmas food is candy.

What do you like to do on the farm during Christmas break? We are going to go sledding with the Honda side-by-sides.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? I like to go to Nebraska to visit my grandparents.

Myles Kooiker
10 years old
Fourth Grade

When do you do chores? I help with chores in the afternoon at 4 p.m. and sometimes in the mornings at 7 a.m.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is doing chores at my dad’s uncle’s farm, and my least favorite chore is feeding newborn calves with my hands.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? I really like driving the pay loader.

Tell us a fun memory you have of living on the farm. All of the cousins like to play on the bales.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? Tell us about it. My favorite animals are the chickens because sometimes I can catch them.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know yet.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. My farm would have a nice house, a new barn, three horses, chickens and two golden retrievers.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? My favorite game on the farm is hide and seek.

What is your favorite Christmas food? My favorite Christmas food is hot cocoa.

What do you like to do on the farm during Christmas break? I plan to go sledding during Christmas break.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? I like to go to Top Golf in Sioux Falls as a family.

Brooks Kooiker
8 years old
Second grade

When do you do chores? I help with chores in the afternoon at 4 p.m.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is weaning the calves, and my least favorite chore is working cattle.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? I like to ride in the planter tractor with my dad’s cousin, Jordan.

Tell us a fun memory you have of living on the farm. I really like chopping and harvest time.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? Tell us about it. My favorite animal is our dog, Mesa. She is cute, and I like to play around with her. She really likes to play on the snow pile with me.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to live by my parents and maybe be a farmer.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. I would want two nice shops, a milk barn by them, all John Deere equipment, two smaller barns and two choppers. I also want to have horses, cows and dogs.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? I like to play on the bales with my cousins.

What are your favorite Christmas foods? Ham and cheesy potatoes.

What do you like to do on the farm during Christmas break? I like to spend time with my dad.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? I like to go to Top Golf in Sioux Falls.