The Minot Area Chamber EDC (MACEDC) is proud to announce that the 2023 Dinner on the Prairie event was recognized for “Chamber Event of the Year” at the 2024 Mid-America Chamber Executives Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. More than 230 guests experienced the event on August 1, 2023, which was made possible by the event co-chairs Fred Beuchler and Bonnie Scheresky, the MACEDC Agribusiness committee, countless volunteers, and supporters like presenting sponsor Town and Country Credit Union.
Mid-America Chamber Executives (MACE) is made up of chamber professionals belonging to their state chamber executive organization or state chamber of commerce in the six-state area of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Annual MACE Conference brings together chamber professionals from across the Midwest for continuing education, and recognizes a broad spectrum of success events, activities, and initiatives with awards. MACEDC President | CEO Brekka Kramer attended the event in early May and was incredibly honored to accept the award.
“The Minot Area Chamber EDC is proud to host an event that helps bring understanding about one of our most important industries to individuals who might otherwise not experience agriculture up close. Knowing that we were able to help cultivate community, build new relationships, and honor our ag personnel is an award itself, but we’re delighted that so many skilled chamber professionals could see the magic in our event.”
Dinner on the Prairie is a farm-to-table signature event created as an opportunity for local ag producers to share a multicourse meal, conversation, and education with Minot community members not connected with agriculture. As guests arrived, they were welcomed by rows of planted crops and were given the opportunity to walk around the area sampling hors d’oeuvres while connecting with the farmers and ranchers who produce the appetizer’s ingredients. During the family-style sit-down dinner, the meal featured nearly a half dozen appetizers, a family style meal, and dessert. All menu items were made with North Dakota grown products, many from the local region, and each table included an agriculture expert to help answer questions and share experiences about their day-to-day process.
More than just a meal, it was an educational dining experience to educate new audiences on the importance of agriculture that included sample crops, agricultural and food facts, a Q&A panel with producers. and 40 farmers and ranchers from various areas of North Dakota agriculture who answered questions about their products, their jobs, their farms, and inquiries guests had about how food is produced and where it comes from.
Invited guests included other key sectors of the Minot community with military, oil and gas executives from the energy sector, educators from numerous area schools and higher ed, and a broad array of healthcare workers.
The Minot region is home to not just a farming economy, but also agriculture distribution, suppliers, and manufacturing, making it critical that residents understand the value of agriculture to the food we eat and our local economy. As the go-to organization for our business community to drive key initiatives that build and strengthen our economy, Minot Area Chamber EDC is proud of this event and cannot wait for the next course in 2025.