A celebration of all things agriculture (and corn) has come to a close.
Hundreds of people, thousands of ears of corn and barbecued chickens, endless amounts of fun and a few milked goats were just small parts of one of the most beloved weekends of the year: The Agassiz Fall Fair and Corn Festival.
This year’s fair theme was Olden Days to Modern Ways.
“Today, we are here to celebrate the bounty of this land, and all of us who share in it,” said Kent Coun. Kerstin Schwichtenberg. She said the theme of the fair resonated with her, recalling her father driving the old Volkswagen Beetle to rake hay and her parents hauling milk onto a milk truck.
The high-tech tools used today have changed the face of agriculture, from milking robots to GPS enabled trackers and text alerts when a cow is ready to calf. Schwichtenberg said farmers are working to use technology and modern farming practices to adapt to climate change and promote longevity and health of the land.
“We, as dairy farmers and all farmers alike, have to recognize that farming practices and environmental studies sustainability are not mutually exclusive,” she said. “We have a significant role to play in all of that.”
A number of dignitaries were present at the opening ceremonies (and for the celebrity goat milking competition), including MP Brad Vis, Mayors from Kent, Chilliwack and Hope, Sylvia Pranger, Ken Popove and Victor Smith and Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon.
The opening ceremonies were capped off with the crowning of this year’s Corn King. A Corn King or Queen (sometimes both) is decided through an intensive look at one chosen acre of corn per farmer. This year’s winner was Don Vander Wyk. Though Vander Wyk is a first-time winner of the Corn King crown, his family has a long history of corn fit for a king. The Vander Wyks have held a the crown a total of 13 times in the past 75 years.
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
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