YORKTON, Sask. — A long-standing Yorkton tradition returned Nov. 2 as community leaders, agricultural advocates and industry representatives gathered to officially launch Agriculture Week and the 37th annual Grain Millers Harvest Showdown.
The event featured the ceremonial branding of a wooden board at the Agri Pavilion on the Yorkton Exhibition Grounds, a practice that highlights agriculture's importance to the city and surrounding region.
Agriculture Week, proclaimed jointly by the Yorkton Exhibition Association and the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, runs Nov. 2 to 8 and celebrates the industry's contributions to the local economy and community.
"We're doing a branding of the board to signal the start of Harvest Showdown," said Juanita Peleggi, executive director of the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce.
Peleggi said the chamber and exhibition association have collaborated on the branding ceremony since 2010, creating a tradition that has featured a variety of guest branders through the years.
This year's guest brander was Ken Propp, whose family's business has been connected to Yorkton's agricultural sector for nearly a century.
Propp said the ceremony serves as an opportunity to recognize the role farmers play in feeding people around the world.
"I think it's very important to recognize the importance of agriculture in this community," he said. "Yorkton has become a real powerhouse in Saskatchewan."
He said the event honours farmers and farm families while helping urban residents better understand where their food comes from.
"This is a real great opportunity to thank them and bring attention to urban folks about the importance of farming to Saskatchewan," Propp said.
Propp noted his family's business, Harvest Meats, is in its 98th year in Yorkton, making the invitation to serve as guest brander particularly meaningful.
"It's an honour to be able to do this and help promote the show," he said.
The branding ceremony itself reflects a long-standing Prairie tradition, Propp added.
"It used to be that people branded their animals. Now it's all ear tags and electronic," he said. "It's a link to the past."
Agriculture Week also provides an opportunity to celebrate the broader agricultural industry, from primary producers to suppliers and processors, he said.
Yorkton has experienced significant growth in agricultural value-added processing in recent years, including the development of major canola-crushing facilities.
"I don't think any of the community thought we'd see the scale of these two plants," Propp said. "That doesn't even preclude Poppowich Milling and Grain Millers, which are hugely successful in their own right in this community."
Coun. Greg Litvanyi, representing the City of Yorkton at the event, said agriculture remains one of the community's most important economic drivers.
"Without our agriculture base and our ag value-processing facilities, the city doesn't look the way it looks now," Litvanyi said.
He said Harvest Showdown also provides a significant boost to the local economy by attracting visitors from across the region.
"The businesses in our community get support from everybody coming in to visit the hotels, the restaurants, the gas stations and retail shopping," he said. "It's just great all around for everyone in our city."
The Grain Millers Harvest Showdown continues throughout the week with livestock shows, agricultural programming and family-oriented events aimed at celebrating Saskatchewan's agricultural heritage and future.
