Photo courtesy of Derek Rhodes and Westman Radio Ltd.
With a grand prize featuring everything from SEVERAL gift cards to farm equipment to a $5000 credit from Virden Mainline Motors, we expected a lot of votes to crown our first ever King/Queen Farmer of 2020. But what your keyboard-typing fingers told us…this contest has FIRMLY planted its seed in Q Country’s fields of fan giveaways for MANY years to come.
42 of our beloved farm families submitted their names. 20 of those made it to the qualifying level. Over 152,000 votes were cast. And over 66,000 of those…chose our winner – Derek Rhodes. With THAT kinda rural love, we just had to get Derek’s thoughts and insights into what it’s all about to wear the inaugural crown of King/Queen Farmer 2020.
Q: So Derek, we all know farming is a “Family Biz”. What’s it’s like to farm with YOUR family?
DEREK: Farming together as a family has its ups and downs. Some days everyone gets along. Others…nothing but squabbles. Some days everything works as it should. Others…nothing seems to work at all. No matter what though, the Rhodes’ Family tries never to hold fault against one another. When accidents happen, you make sure everyone’s okay, you fix the problem, move on and forget about it. That’s what makes farming together enjoyable!
Q: Farming is MORE than a career. It’s a way of life. What has farming taught you and your family through the years?
DEREK: Growing up on the farm has taught me many valuable life lessons that I will use for a life-TIME. The most important one - Pray without ceasing. God is in control of the weather and he’s the only one who can change it. Secondly, never give up! If you feel like giving up, just keep going. Tomorrow’s a new day where you’re given the opportunity to try again!
Q: Now that you have the crown AND the grand prize, how do you plan on spreading your fortune at Virden Mainline Motors?
DEREK: The plan with my winnings from Virden Mainline Motors is to put tires on my sister’s car and purchase parts and new tires for my truck! And maybe even a few custom features for my car.
Q: What advice would you like to donate to the young up and coming farmers?
DEREK: A few tips I would like to pass along to other young farmers is this:
Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to pass along?
DEREK: Again I would like to thank Mainline Motors along with all the other supporters who donated to the King/queen farmer contest! Your generosity is greatly appreciated and will be put to good use in the near future!
Congratulations Derek Rhodes – the Q Country King/Queen Farmer Winner 2020.
Thanks to all our sponsors: