The Woodland Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominees for its Agribusiness of the Year Award.
The award is scheduled to be presented at the Thursday, Oct. 3, Farm City Dinner, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at JDM Organic Farm, which will include vendors from the Food Front and live entertainment.
Assisting the chamber is the city of Woodland. The theme of the event this year is Fall Feast. For information about the dinner and the award, contact the Woodland Chamber of Commerce or go to its website.
Qualifications for the Agribusiness of the Year award, which can be an individual or a business, are that they be an "upstanding" members of the agricultural community, with accomplishments that have positively affected the Woodland community economically and/or philanthropically.
Other characteristics include having a lifetime of achievement in agriculture, being an industry leader or being an upcoming active and innovative producer (or a combination of the two), as well as being actively involved in the Woodland agriculture industry.
Like other local events, the Farm City Dinner has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award was presented in 2023,
but the dinner was canceled in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, however, Matchbook Winery of Dunnigan received recognition for its sustainable agricultural practices, "producing hundreds of thousands of cases of wine annually and helping to put Yolo County wines on the map," according to the chamber.
Matchbook Wine Company is owned and operated by the Giguiere family, who have lived in Yolo County since the 1850s. Growing up on the family farm, brothers John and Karl Giguiere are 5th generation farmers who know the region's soil, climate and the land's true potential.
Their wine travels nationwide, promoting and benefiting not just our local wine industry, but Yolo County's agricultural industry.
"What makes Matchbook stand out amidst Yolo County's exemplary agricultural industry is its commitment to our community," the chamber reported at the 2023 event. "They are regular contributors to the Yolo Food Bank through their many events, support local businesses by hosting food trucks, and frequently aid the Chamber with wine donations and by offering their venue for Chamber events."
In 2019, at the 52nd Farm-City Dinner, there were two honors presented at a banquet for around 420 people at the Woodland Community Center.
Taylor Christine Rodriguez, a student at Woodland Community College, was recognized with the 2019 Twyla J. Thompson Women in Agriculture Scholarship. Meanwhile, long-time executive director of the Yolo County Farm Bureau, Denise Sagara, was honored as the 2019 Chamber Agri-Business Person of the Year.
The Twyla J. Thompson Women in Agriculture Scholarship is named after the late Twyla Thompson, a long-time chamber volunteer, who was also well-known in agriculture, often advocating on a variety of water issues. Commonly called "Mrs. T," Thompson herself received the Agribusiness Person of the Year award in 1985. She died in early February 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment