It was an interesting Monday morning at the Gallagher Centre as a homemade branding iron was heated and used to burn a mark into a piece of rough lumber. The branding ceremony was a way to mark the beginning of Agriculture Week in the City.
Yorkton Council had unanimously supported marking the week in the city at its regular meeting Oct. 18, following a request which came from the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce.
This Monday it was the City, the Chamber and the Yorkton Exhibition Association which teamed to carry out the brief branding ceremony (see related story in the agriculture section of this paper).
While the branding was basically a good photo-op for local media, the fact the three groups were cooperating on the event is of greater significance.
Agriculture may go through its ups and downs, but it always remains important in terms of the local economy.
From the earliest years agriculture has been the foundation upon which the city was built. The York Farmers' Colonization Company was essentially founded to promote western colonization in the local area, and that meant attracting farmers lured to the west by the prospect of land to farm.
While the local economy is more diverse today, agriculture remains important.
If it was not for the farm base of the region, Yorkton would not have seen the development of the oat business which has become Grain Millers Inc.
That same agriculture base is what helped attract both Richardson and LDM Foods to establish canola crushing plants here.
Those three businesses are now major employers in the city, and are examples of how farming influences Yorkton's economy is ways which go beyond farmers spending money in the city.
Of course the connection between farming and Yorkton industry has always been strong. Morris Industries, Leon, and Harvest Meats, have been three important industries in the city for decades now, and all three exist in support of the agriculture sector.
The City and the local Chamber recognize those connections, and the impact farmer spending has in the city, so supporting an Agriculture Week is an easy step to take as a way to say thanks.
The involvement of the YEA is also a natural. Part of the organization's mandate is support of, and education about agriculture, and being involved in the event Monday was another way of reminding people to stop and recognize farming remains important to Yorkton.
It is certainly something the public should think about. Farmers are the people who feed us, and the rest of the world, and in the process, they spend a lot of money locally. Whether it's farm equipment, crop protection products, or a pair of work boots, farmers support most local businesses at some point throughout the year.
Those businesses are stronger because of farm dollars, and hire more staff to meet farmer needs.
That is what the week is all about, non-farmers taking some time to think about, and to say thanks for what farmers do for our city.
