The National Agriculture and Trade Show opens tomorrow evening at the Show Grounds in Belmopan. A highlight of the show is the selection of farmers of the year and the results are in. With the assistance of the Press Office we will show you the senior, female, and junior farmers of the year.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Senior farmer of the year, Wilbert Ramclam has a farm in Red Bank Village in Stann Creek and it is a place of wonder. He has everything: cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, cashew...and then some.
Wilbert Ramclam, Farmer of the Year
"I have citrus, lemons, quite a variety of all the lemons, cashew, mangos, avocado, tambran, plantains, pineapple, peppers as well, coconuts, I have quite a bit of coconut, about four acres of coconut. We also have some kinnep and passion fruit."
And passion is just what he brings to farming.
Wilbert Ramclam,
"It's the passion, I've always been involved in farming."
And now this lifetime farmer, with a Master's in agriculture from a British University is making his name as a trailblazer in what's called integrated or organic farming.
Wilbert Ramclam,
"I uses the chicken manure from the chicken, I uses also the stuff from the pigs and I adapt that into the plantains and citrus. I always use that on the pineapple, the vegetable, and pepper."
And while he does organic farming, female farmer of the year Elnelda May Scott from Maskall Village does it the old fashioned way. She wakes up every morning, and first tends to her dogs, then the chickens and the pigs - and then she gets
to making coconut oil. She's been a farmer for 30 years and has a number of crops on her 20 acres.
Elnelda May Scott, Female Farmer of the Year
"The most crop we have are these standard bearing trees like golden plums, soursop custard apple, limes, and like that. Then we plant vegetables like sweet pepper, sometimes tomatoes and habanero peppers."
And her caution to those young people planning a career in farming is simple.
Marisa Quan,
"Would you say that this is a way of life that our young people could come about and see as a way to make a sustainable life?"
Elnelda May Scott,
"If they really love the bushes. If they don't love it, I would tell young people to stay away because it is a back breaking, some say thankless, but if you love it, it is a wonderful way of life. You have your freedom and you are your own boss."
And that's the wisdom that called Araceli Awaya to farming. She is from Chunux Village in the Corozal District and is the junior farmer of the year. While she has livestock and traditional crops and grains, what makes her special is that she's also doing value added production - making plantain chips. and pretty soon she hopes to start labeling her bags.
The farmers will be awarded prizes at tomorrow's opening ceremony.
