Three couples have been nominated for the award which will be presented during Canada’s Farm Progress Show on June 21.

The 2017 award winners—Derrick and Tanis Axten from Milton, SK—are pictured to the right.

This year’s nominees are:

-Michael and Jessica Lovich (Balgonie)
-Jordan and Jennifer Lindgren (Norquay)
-Lee and Shannon Sluser (Glenavon)

The nominees are under the age of 40 and derive a minimum of two-thirds gross revenue from farming.

The judging is based on several factors including progress in agricultural career, production history, environmental stewardship, financial management practices and contributions to the community.

Here is a brief summary about each nominee.

Michael and Jessica Lovich own and operate Lovholm Hosteins at Balgonie. They moved to our province from Alberta two-and-a-half years ago and are currently milking 65 to 70 purebred Hosteins. They own 160 acres and rent another 400 acres to produce feed for their cows. The Lovich’s have three daughters and are involved in sports, school and church activities.

Lee and Shannon Sluser, along with their two young children, live on a 4th generation family farm near Glenavon in southeast Saskatchewan. The Slusers, working together with five full time and three part time employees, grow an average of ten different crops on about 17,000 acres. They also operate a high caliber horse riding facility where they breed, train and sell high performance dressage horses.

Jordan and Jennifer Lindgren own and operate a grain and oilseed farm near Norquay. The Lindgrens use field scale trials to maximize production, while minimizing costs. They also partner with local agriculture distributors to host the “Field of Dreams” tour. It is an opportunity to share trial results from previous years and show current trials that focus on new genetics, applications and variable fertilizer rates.

The winner of the provincial Outstanding Young Farmers Award will advance to compete in the national event later this year.