Importance of agriculture saluted during Chamber of Commerce Farmer Appreciation Night

The Swift Current and District Chamber of Commerce took an evening to salute the farm community on March 1 during their fifth annual Farmer Appreciation Night.

Swift Current and District Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Karla Wiens said the evening was an important opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women on farms and ranches who have a major impact on the economy of the Southwest.

“Sometimes the farmer remains the unsung hero around here. The work that they do, those people are amazing business people, their work ethic is second to none, and I really think that everyone deserves to be shown some appreciation, especially for the job that these people do,” Wiens said on Friday.

“Farmers work very hard and they’re at the mercy of a lot of things that they can’t control. It could be weather. It can be insects, disease, you name it. And the different aspects of business that they really have to be masters of is astounding.”

“These people are marketing experts, they’re plant experts, the sheer technology that they have to keep up with for their machinery. And the technology that keeps being developed at an astounding pace is amazing. I have nothing but admiration for anyone involved in the farming community.”

The Farmer Appreciation Night joins the annual SCBEX Awards as one of the Chamber’s two signature events. And, fittingly, they both single out important economic drivers in the region.

The guest speaker for the evening was Carla Carlson from Nimegeers Carlson Law Firm and author of the book Everyday Grace: Finding Your

Extraordinary in Ordinary Everyday Life.

She shared a reflective message on the legacy of producers, and how lessons learned around the dinner table is a continuation of a generations old tradition.

“Our celebration at the dinner table is really a daily reminder to go back to the basics. In our busy, fast-paced, chaotic world, our ritual of the meal offers a recalibration of the fundamentals,” she said during her presentation.

“I think that’s a lost piece. People, they’re not even recognizing how important that tradition is, that ritual is for families. And because you’re in a rural setting, with kids on the farm, I think it happens more naturally there. And so many life lessons are being passed on at that table, and we don’t see it,” she added later.

“For me it was absolutely a celebration of spirit,” she said. “We get so caught up in the business of our everyday that we forget that what we do is valuable and important.”

“This is an opportunity for people to pause for a minute and just recognize the great things that they’re doing.”

Carlson said producers often overlook their own importance.

“A very unique and special community that has its own language and its own ties. And I talked about it being enviable…and I don’t know that they always recognize that they are a unique community of their own that gives huge contributions to our community as a whole. It’s a special thing farming and ranching.”