Winner selected in National Ag Day drawing

GRANT COUNTY — When Becky Nellsch and her family sit down to dine, odds are good for a while their meals will originate from within Grant County.

Nellsch, a resident of Moses Lake for 15 years, was the winner of the National Agriculture Day drawing, put on by the Grant County Cattlemen Association and the Grant County CattleWomen.

National Agriculture Day is today.

“It’s what we call our commodity basket from Grant County, with products that have been produced or manufactured within Grant County,” Grant County CattleWomen Publicity Chair Rita Mayrant said.

Items in the commodity basket included a case of frozen vegetables from Quincy Columbia Foods, 50 pounds of potatoes from Mattawa-based Tatoes, 50 pounds of onions from Mattawa-based Jones Onion, a bottle of Syrah from Frenchman Hills Winery, a certificate and cookbook from Grant County Pork Producers; two skeins of wool, a jar of wool wax cream and a cookbook from Grant County Sheep Producers; a jar of honey and a bag of honey candy from Moses Lake-based Silverbow Honey, soap made in Soap Lake, Grant County CattleWomen pencils and emery boards, gift certificates and cookbooks from both organizations, four dozen eggs from Willamette Egg Farms, milk, bread and pasta.

“I was very excited,” Nellsch said. “I like to enter wherever I see something, because I like that stuff. It helps with food. I actually had to call back because I was at work, so I was excited. I was a little bit giddy. Whenever you win, it’s like, ‘Woohoo!’”

Mayrant said there were 367 entries this year, which she said is “a lot more” than the associations’ first drawing last year.

“So we’re growing,” she said.

Mayrant noted the associations were slightly disappointed with several sites that placed the entry buckets out of the line of vision of customers or in hard-to-reach places.

“I think Coulee City and Moses Lake were (the places) where the most entries came from,” she said.

“We’re trying to create an awareness for Ag Day,” explained Grant County CattleWomen President Linda Serosky.

“Commodities and products that are raised in the Columbia Basin,” agreed Grant County Cattlemen Association President Bill Sieverkropp. “Not just beef products, but everything from beans, eggs and butter. Awareness of all the ag products produced in the Columbia Basin, and even in the state.”

This is the second year the organizations have put on the contest, and Sieverkropp and Serosky said they plan to do it again.

“It just keeps more people aware of all the commodities raised right here locally,” Sieverkropp said.

“A lot of it is the fact people are amazed by the amount of food that is on their table that is produced right here in Grant County,” Mayrant said. “I think the support we get from the different businesses who donate to this shows there is an interest in there of promoting our products.”