2016 Watertown Winter Farm Show Dedicated to
TOM HOLMES
Watertown Winter Farm Show 3
By Twila Schmitt, Public Opinion Staff Writer
Tom Holmes may be a man of few
words, but this year’s Watertown Win-
ter Farm Show honoree has plenty of
folks more than willing to put in a good
word about him.
“Tom is so deserving of this honor.
He’s been on the Ag Committee a long
time and puts in the time necessary ev-
ery year to make the Watertown Winter
Farm Show a great experience,” said Al
Raeder, who has served with Holmes on
the Ag Committee many of those years.
The Watertown Chamber of Com-
merce Ag Committee, which organizes
the annual Watertown Winter Farm
Show, honors someone annually who
has spent years contributing to its suc-
cess by dedicating the farm show to
their name. This year, the honor goes to
Tom Holmes of Watertown.
The 71st Watertown Winter Farm
show is scheduled for February 9-13,
2016.
Raeder explained that Holmes trained
him in the “art of parking” when Raeder
first joined the Ag Committee. The two
spent many chilly hours together direct-
ing traffic in the Codington County Ex-
tension Complex parking lot.
“Tom actually has a reputation for do-
ing those jobs that no one else raises
their hand to do,” said Megan Gruman,
President and CEO of the Watertown
Area Chamber of Commerce.
Holmes’ first involvement with the Wa-
tertown Area Chamber began in 1984
when he was working as an ag loan of-
ficer at what then was known as Farm-
ers & Merchants Bank. He joined the
Chamber’s Ag Committee where he has
held numerous positions, including two
stints as Farm Show chairman.
Since that time, he has also been part
of the Adopt the First Grade, 4-H Bar-
becue and Farm-Business Appreciation
Banquet where he’s quick to fill up peo-
ple’s coffee cups – or grab a dish towel
in the kitchen.
This past September, Holmes received
the Watertown Area Chamber’s Volun-
teer of the Year award during the or-
ganization’s annual meeting. Holmes
currently works as office staff at Witte-
Holmes State Farm.
“Tom is honestly one of the most sin-
cere people I’ve ever met,” said Gruman.
“His loyalty to the farm show and the
community is commendable.”
Holmes’ connection with agricul-
ture began as a boy growing up on a
small farm outside of Mission, SD, on
the Rosebud Indian Reservation. He at-
tended a one room country school until
third grade, when his family moved into
Mission. He continued to put up hay
each summer on the family farm.
He continued his education at North-
ern State University, graduating in
1971. He then spent time teaching and
coaching in Wagner and Mission before
starting a job with Farmers State Bank
in 1975 in Mission. When the opportu-
nity came to purchase his grandparent’s
farm, he did so.
His career in ag lending led him to
North Dakota in 1983 and then to Wa-
tertown in 1984. In 1988, he married
his wife, Kathy Witte. The couple start-
ed Witte-Holmes State Farm Insurance
Agency, and continue to work side by
side today.
“I became step dad to three boys
and changed careers, all in about four
months,” he recalled. “There were a lot
of changes for everyone.”
Family became an important focus,
and Holmes said he’s extremely proud
of the boys and all that they’ve done
with their lives. He and Kathy also have
seven grandchildren.
“I wouldn’t trade being a grandpa for
all the money in the world,” he said.
Reflecting on this year’s Farm Show
honor, Holmes said he was very sur-
prised to receive the phone call.
“I’m very humbled to have this honor.
Others could have and should have,” he
said.
Fellow Ag Committee member Gary
Mack said Holmes is fitting of this year’s
dedication honor as he is “always look-
ing for new ways to make the Farm
Show better serve the farmers -- and the
businesses that serve the farmers.”
Mack said that Holmes was also an
excellent Farm Show Chairman during
both his terms with that title.
“He has a real dry sense of humor and
tries to keep everything light. But, he
also tries to see all sides of what’s going
on and decides what’s best for the Farm
Show,” said Mack.
While Holmes has made many con-
nections during the Watertown Winter
Farm Show, he said that one is particu-
larly memorable.
“One experience I got from the Cham-
ber Ag committee was to work many
years with Bob Elis in the parking lot
during the Farm Show. Bob was a color-
ful fella, part psychologist and part old
time cowboy,” said Holmes. “He was a
good friend and a real character. I loved
every minute of it.”
Holmes said probably the biggest
change he’s witnessed over the years at
the Farm Show is the technology used
in agriculture.
“As a vendor, our booth is next to a
guy who sells big screen monitors that
can tell a producer his yields over indi-
vidual parts of a field while harvesting.
This amazes me – and I wonder where
we’ll be in the next fifty years,” he said.
The overall focus and mission of the
Watertown Winter Farm Show, howev-
er, remains unchanged – to showcase
agriculture in the area, he said. He
credits the Ag Committee, hundreds of
committed volunteers, continued par-
ticipation by Lake Area Tech students
and expertise from the Watertown Area
Chamber of Commerce for this contin-
ued success.
“I’m humbled by this honor and proud
to be part of the Chamber Ag Commit-
tee and proud of what the Farm Show
has become for Watertown,” he said.
