Thank You Case IH!!!

Camp Anokijig is proud to announce the arrival of a brand-new RBX563, as well as a brand-new DCX131, courtesy of the very generous folks at Case IH.

These beautiful, big, red machines will be put to good use at Anokijig, but what exactly is that use? This equipment attaches to Anokijig's Case tractor, with one being use to cut hay and the other being used to bale it into those huge, round bales that you probably see lined up along the fence lines of farms.

Anokijig uses hay to feed our herd of horses, which now numbers between 50 and 60 strong. The Broken Circle A Ranch has been Anokijig's signature program area for many years and a deciding factor for many of the campers and groups who choose to come to experience the great outdoors at Anokijig. Each year, we farm about 80 acres of land and bale more than 7,750 bales of hay, with the help of countless volunteers, who toil under less than ideal conditions to keep our horses fed.

This is thankless, time-consuming work, which had been done with aging, unreliable equipment. Thanks to Case IH, it has just gotten a whole lot easier. We can't thank Case IH enough, but we also owe a debt of gratitude to the Racine Founders Rotary Club, who helped connect us to the key people at Case IH, making this donation a reality.

Anonymously Assisting

Horses are expensive! Just ask anyone who boards a horse and they'll tell you the same thing. In Wisconsin, boarding a horse year-round typically costs about $300 a month.

That expense puts horse ownership out of reach for many folks, which is one of the reasons Anokijig's Ranch program is so popular. The Broken Circle A Ranch provides thousands of children with the opportunity to learn about these beautiful animals and interact with them each year.

Anokijig's herd fluctuates between 50 and 60 horses at any given time and while it probably doesn't cost us $300 a month to maintain each of them, they are still very expensive. In fact, our board often wonders if the nominal fees we do charge campers actually comes close to covering the costs associated with running the program. We always arrive at the same conclusion- even though the fees may never cover the expenses, we know our Ranch program attracts countless summer campers, schools, weekend campers and many others, who might not otherwise choose Anokijig.

One of our wonderful donors recognized the importance of our Ranch program and wanted to help offset some of those expenses for us this year, but didn't want to be publicly recognized for their generosity. This happens sometimes and we respect the desire people have to maintain their privacy and will often refer to those donors as "anonymous," if needed.

In this instance, the donor asked that their donation recognize another group instead, the Forest County Potawatomi, and we were happy to oblige. It's a win-win scenario for everyone involved and we're so grateful for their support. As Jim Scherer and so many others have said- "There's something about the outside of a horse, that's great for the inside of a kid."