The organizers of Estevan’s Farmers’ Appreciation Evening are now accepting nominations for the Farm Family of the Year Award.
The honour will be presented at the Farmers’ Appreciation Evening, to be held on March 26, 2019, at the Beefeater Plaza.
Alf Tide, who is the chairperson for the appreciation evening, said the recipient of the award should have several traits. It can go to a livestock or a grain family, and it needs to go to someone who is a community leader.
“If you look at the people who have won in the past, it’s always been someone who isn’t just a farmer,” said Tide. “It’s the person who sits on the different boards – the co-op board, the credit union board, the school board, the church board.”
It’s not just the biggest farmer around that wins the award, either, although the size of the farm does need to be included in the nomination package. Tide said people often expect the committee would select the biggest operation nominated, but they’ll look at other factors. The committee wants to see the award go to the average farmers as well.
The deadline to submit a nomination will be March 1. Packages can be picked up from the Estevan Chamber of Commerce.
Tide hopes people will give a good description of the people they’re nominating, the background and the history of the farm, and the achievements of the family.
Nominations that were received in 2018 for the award will be carried over to next year. Tide said that gives them two or three nominations to work with already, but they would like to have a few more.
The first planning meeting for the 2019 event was held in November. For the second straight year, the event will take place on a Tuesday in late March. Previous editions of the event were held on Thursdays, usually in late February or early March.
A guest speaker for the farmers’ appreciation evening has not been determined.
The Farmers’ Appreciation Evening is a project of the Estevan Exhibition Association and the Estevan Chamber of Commerce.
