It’s a great chance to come together each year and say thank you to those who play a key role in the economy of the region.
The Estevan Farmer’s Appreciation Evening was held at the Beefeater Plaza on Tuesday night. And the night had a little bit of everything: humour, information, emotion and even a call to action.
The event has two highlights each year. The first is the presentation of the Farm Family of the Year Award to a local family that not only enjoys success with their business, but makes significant contributions to the community as well.
This year’s family, the Marcottes, is no exception. And it was an emotion selection, too, thanks to the resiliency shown by the family amid health issues for Jeff in the last few years.
The people present knew that the Marcottes were worthy of being the 35th family to earn the award.
The other annual highlight is the 4-H speakers who regaled the crowd with their stories, and impressed many in the audience with their public speaking abilities at such a young age.
Public speaking is considered the No. 1 fear for a lot of people, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with these young people. Thankfully there are organizations like 4-H that continue to teach young people how to effectively speak in public.
Those who were present also heard a presentation on marketing, and a speech from local farmer Jason LeBlanc on his experiences in the recent United we Roll Convoy to Ottawa.
LeBlanc was his usual entertaining self. You might not agree with everything he says, but you can’t deny his ability to connect with the people in the room. (It’s one of the things you learn when you’re an auctioneer).
It was a fun evening less than a week before the agriculture sector, like so many industries in our country, enters a time of uncertainty, thanks to the carbon tax that is about to be imposed on Saskatchewan and other provinces.
A lot of the attention for the carbon tax is on the oil and gas and mining sectors. They’re going to be hit hard. But it’s also going to take a toll on the agriculture sector. A lot of farms are going to be feeling the pinch.
It’s ironic that agriculture is going to be hit by the carbon tax, when you consider the measures so many farmers have taken to reduce carbon emissions in their operations.
LeBlanc and Marcotte took time to promote the upcoming Regina Rally against the Carbon Tax next week in Regina. And again, the energy sector is getting a lot of attention for that rally, since organizers call for not only the end of the carbon tax, but the construction of pipelines and the demise of the federal Liberals bill that many call an anti-pipeline measure.
But as LeBlanc and Marcotte point out, the carbon tax will hit farmers, too.
Hopefully there will be a healthy number of semi-trailer units and other vehicles that will make the trek into Regina as part of the convoys that are planned for April 4, and hopefully a large crowd will gather for the rally. Speakers will be preaching to the converted, but they’ll still be sharing their message.
Hopefully there will be lots of farmers present.
Farmers deserve every opportunity to be competitive and to make a good living in their business. The carbon tax will diminish their ability to do so.
It’s not an appreciative measure for farmers.
