DYSART, Sask. – It was a fact-finding mission baited with sugar lurking in the chocolate.
The Saskatchewan Women’s Agricultural Network came calling to three communities last week to find the issues of concern to farm women. Carrot cake and Nanaimo bars served with coffee thawed the meeting’s atmosphere into relaxed chatter in the south-central town of Dysart.
Adding to the food was an element of fun.
SWAN chair Shelly Dahlman of Assiniboia led the women in a blackout bingo game about farm life while SWAN director Racquel Moleski played a modified form of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Farm-oriented questions included which country invented canola, how many eggs does a chicken lay in one year and what percentage of Canadians are farmers. The answers are Canada, 300 and three percent.
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Dahlman said that in Quebec, an annual black-tie gala is held to appreciate farm women. SWAN wanted something simpler with a Saskatchewan twist.
She told those present to join SWAN because farm women need to be heard. She said SWAN is regarded as an authority, but “we’d like to make a bigger difference.”
The Dysart meeting led off a series of five meetings around the province, also held in Muenster and Lloydminster and planned for Swift Current Nov. 6 and Assiniboia Nov. 7.
The Dysart meeting drew a score of women of mixed ages and interests. Among the issues they want to know more about are the farm crisis, computers, gardening, women’s issues and grain marketing.
The women had different reasons for coming to the farm women’s appreciation night held in the Golden Years Club with its brown paneled walls almost hidden behind photographs, plaques and notice boards. One woman joshed that her husband thought she was going to male strippers’ show. Another was more thoughtful, saying she came to see what’s going on.
“The men have their rallies and … we’ve probably all diversified as much as we can.”
The meetings will help SWAN gather agenda items for a March round of workshops to be held in the province.
