MOSES LAKE — Two local agricultural powerhouses were named to the Moses Lake Ag Hall of Fame Oct. 21: cattle and hay growers Debbie and Sid Sackmann and aviation advocate, and bison grower Tom Dent, who also represents Washington’s 13th district in the state House of Representatives. 

Debbie and Sid Sackmann were introduced at the ceremony by state Sen. Judy Warnick, also of Washington’s 13th district. 

“Throughout his career, Sid has served on numerous agricultural committees, representing the farmers of the Columbia Basin with integrity and perfection and passion,” Warnick said. “He spent more than 15 years on the Hay Growers Association Board, and 19  years on the Farm Credit Services Board, in addition to his and Debbie’s service with Moses Lake 4-H and FFA Booster Committee, A highlight of his hay growing career was being named the 2014 Grant County Fair Hay King … Sid and Debbie could often be found calling on local businesses and collecting donations to support the 4- H and FFA livestock sale at the Grant County Fair. Bidding on local youth projects was Sid’s favorite part of the work, and Debbie and I were right there keeping the budget on track.” 

The Sackmanns’ service to the community didn’t end there, Warnick said. 

“Working with Certified Angus Beef, they hosted more than 75 Sysco salesmen at their farm to learn how beef is raised, helping bridge the gap between producers and consumers,” she said.”It was an experience that left a lasting impression on both sides and remains a fond memory.” 

The Sackmanns have facilitated many young people’s entry into agriculture, Warnick said, by employing high school and college students as summer labor on their farm. 

“They’ve shown that agriculture is not just an occupation, but a calling,” Warnick said. “Through five decades of service, they have not only grown crops and cattle, but cultivated opportunity, character and connection. Their legacy can be seen in the faces of former employees, 4-H and FFA members, neighbors and friends whose lives have been shaped by their quiet leadership and generosity.” 

Dent was introduced by his predecessor in the state Legislature, Gary Chandler, who served from 1990 to 2001. Dent got his professional pilot’s license in 1976, working as a crop duster as well as teaching others to fly. 

“I don’t know how many times I had that plane fly over my house,” Chandler said. “(He was) trying to wake me up, I guess, at like 5 o’clock in the morning … Flying airplanes was always Tom’s passion since he was 8 years old. It takes a lot of passion and mentorship. It takes a special person to take someone under their wing to make them a successful crop duster.” 

In the state Legislature, Dent serves on several committees that are essential to life in the Columbia Basin, Chandler said, including Youth and Early Learning and Transportation, and is the ranking member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. 

“He’s a strong proponent, pushing hard to finally fulfill what was promised many years ago, and that is the completion of the Columbia Basin Project and getting ... (farmers) off of wells and onto the water that they were promised,” Chandler said. 

Chandler also spoke about the importance of drawing young people into skilled trades and work that gets their hands dirty. 

“In our state, we’ve always told everybody (that) to be somebody, you have to go to college and get a degree,” Chandler said. “We let a lot of kids drop out of school because they knew they didn’t have a vision to go to college. They knew that maybe their mom or dad couldn’t afford for them to go to college … so many times that I’ve seen over my years, we look down on people that’s a plumber. We look down on electricians. And I tell you, they make more money than I ever made. We just had one replace a heater in one of my apartments. So often there’s young kids are dropping out of school and if we help them get a better chance of doing something with their hands and remind them you don’t always have to go to four years (of college) ... and you can be something in your life going forward. A couple years ago when I was working with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, I think he was saying around 30%, 35% kids in high school, juniors or seniors drop out of school because they don’t have that vision. And I will tell you, we as employers, we need to reach out to those kids in school. We’re short of workers. Our next workforce is sitting in high school. Are we helping get them a job in our place to show them that there are things that they can do?”

    Rep. Tom Dent stops to let some people pet his horse during Warden Community Days. Dent was named to the Moses Lake Hall of Fame.
 Joel Martin/Basin Business Journal