Photo supplied by the County of Grande Prairie.

By Shane Clausing, Curtis Galbraith

Agriculture

Vavrek’s named County of Grande Prairie Farm Family of the Year

Jan 13, 2022 | 3:37 PM

The County of Grande Prairie has announced the Vavrek family of Vavy Valley Farms as its 2022 Farm Family of the Year.

The Award recognizes significant contributions to agriculture and the community.

Michael Vavrek says it’s an honour to receive this award.

“My family and myself are very excited and thrilled to receive this great award. It means so much to so many farm families in our area to be acknowledged for this title”

“(We have been) trying to make our county a better place to live and farm, so we definitely thank the county for this great honour,” he added.

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He credits his family for the farm’s success.

“Definitely one of my dad’s things that I learned from the past that family is everything and if you can farm with your family, it makes things a lot easier for yourself,” he said.

“Dad was always my role modal in my life and I followed in his footsteps, as well as close neighbours, trying to follow what they did as farming practices and the way they lived their lives, I tried to copy that.”

Vavrek’s two sons are also involved with the farm.

“It is truly one of my thrills in farming is to have family beside you but to have them carry on and, hopefully, take the farm to the next level is a great thrill of mine.”

Vavrek added after what was a tough 2021 for all farmers, getting this award shows all the hard work that was put into the past year.

“(It is) one of those things (where) everybody tries to do their best on the farm to make a living and sometimes the weather doesn’t co-operate with you and makes it kind of tough.”

“That is why you don’t try to make your farming in one year. You try to do what you can every year and, hopefully, it works out.”

The family also operates the Sexsmith Curling Club and is credited with initiating the Sexsmith Farmers Market in 2017 to utilize the curling rink during the summer months. Vavrek says he believes in community involvement.

“Walter Paczkowski would be a great role model to follow. He has done so much for our community. I really respect Walter.”

“To run a curling rink for so many years as we have done, we’re trying to give back to the community and I think being part of the community of Sexsmith is a good thing for us to be. There are so many great people that have helped us over the years to make the curling rink easy to run. Special thanks to Sexsmith for being a great town.”

The Vavrek’s will be saluted at the Foster’s Peace Country Classic Agri-Show. It is set for March 9 to 12 at Evergreen Park.