The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce held their annual Ag Appreciation Night yesterday evening, offering an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the agriculture industry.
The event has been held every year since 1994 with the exception of 2020. It included a dinner, guest panel of previous Golden Sheaf Award winners, and the presentation of this year's Golden Sheaf Award.
Instead of a guest speaker, this year the event hosted three previous Golden Sheaf Award recipients, Alex Galarneau, Sarah Leguee, and Mark Bratrud. In a panel led by Jordan Szczecinski, they discussed topics including producer-consumer relationships, strategic planning, and transitioning to the next generation of farmers.
The 2024 Golden Sheaf Award recipients are Derek and Tannis Axten, of Axten Farms Ltd.
“We'd like to thank the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce for this opportunity, and the award, and all of the local businesses.” Said Tannis Axten.
Derek Axten finished saying “and the sponsors that made the event possible tonight, because this was absolutely first class. The meal was wonderful, the people were great, the conversation was even better, and it's just icing on the cake for us to get the award tonight, so, really appreciate it.”
Candidates for the award are judged in five areas, community involvement, innovation and entrepreneurship, longevity, professional involvement, and stewardship.
Executive Director for the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce, Monica Osborn, presented the award, explaining their dedication to their operation and their community.
“This year's Golden Sheaf Award recipients are third generation farmers based in Minton, Saskatchewan, and have been integral to their family operations since the early 2000s. Over the past 17 years, they have transformed their farming and management practices, inspired by their guiding motto, loyal to the soil. In 2017, their efforts were acknowledged when they won the Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmer Award, and later the national Outstanding Young Farmer title.”
Derek is currently regional chair for the Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmer program, and president of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association. This alongside Tannis serving on the board for Regeneration Canada.
Osborn explains “around 2007, they began adopting innovative practices that have now become central to their operation. These include soil regeneration, focusing on soil microbiology, intercropping companion crops and cover crops, using compost and compost extract, practicing controlled traffic farming, embracing crop diversity, and adding value with grain cleaning, flour milling, and direct marketing from field to plate. These changes have helped them not only improve soil quality, but also shift their perspective from producing commodities to producing foods.”
These experiences led them to build a food grade processing plant and flour mill which has opened new opportunities and markets for their operation.
When receiving the award, Tannis expresses the goals and values of their farming practices.
“Derek and I are very passionate about improving our soil health, and we enjoy using different farming practices to improve our farm's resilience. Whether it be being on numerous boards and hosting field days and tours, it's important to us to share our farm's story and experiences. Hopefully we can help others learn from our mistakes, and with any luck, inspire other farmers to find positives in our challenging ag industry.”
She mentions their satisfaction in being able to market their flour in local stores, and gratitude for the value their practices have added to their farm and community, as well as the support from their team and local businesses.
“It's also allowed us to hire more employees that have moved into our community. A couple of them are here tonight, Daniel and Frederick, we'd like to thank them. Without our team, we wouldn't be here tonight. I would also like to thank our dads, they're also here tonight, we appreciate all of their support. Finally, we'd like to thank all of the local businesses and farmers that we work with, and a special thank you to Jeff and FCC. Thank you all, it's been a great evening, and it's a great honor.”
After the event, Derek explains how the Golden Sheaf Award aligns with the goals and values of their operation.
“A lot of what we've been working towards is connection to consumers, you know, and getting beyond the farm gate, and I think that's a lot of what they're trying to accomplish here at the Chamber, widening the connections between urban and rural, and narrowing the gap."