leadership - 4-H Ontario

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FEATURES Christine Wilkinson, Rebecca Murray, Deanna Glasgow, Marie Martin (coach) and Scott Gooding representing Halton 4-H Association. TAKING HOME GOLD Halton 4-H’rs win the 2011 provincial title By Stephanie Craig Do you know how to hold a rabbit properly, when 4-H began, or how yeast works Chances are the 2011 Provincial Go For The Gold (GFTG) Champions know the answers. GFTG is a trivia competition that focuses on content covered in 4-H projects and current 4-H information. Teams of four players, an alternate and one coach compete against one another at the local, regional and provincial level. The provincial competition happens every November at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF). Here the winners of each regional competition go head to head for the chance to win the title of Provincial GFTG Champions. Many 4-H’rs dedicate their entire spring, summer and fall to studying, preparing and competing. The provincial event is the culmination of hours of dedication. It brings together Members, Volunteers and spectators from across Ontario. The excitement also brought Deborah Gray, Manager, Marketing and Communications for Ontario Mutuals to the provincial championships. Ontario Mutuals is the provincial sponsor of the GFTG program and also financially supports each of the six regional competitions. “Ontario Mutuals is delighted to be associated with 4-H’s Go For The Gold program. The level of commitment and excellence from the participants is very gratifying, and certainly makes our sponsorship even more important to us,” explains Deborah. Teams from Carleton, Durham East, Grey, Halton, Oxford and Temiskaming 4-H Associations participated in the provincial competition at the RAWF. After five preliminary rounds, Durham- East and Halton took the lead. The championship game was a tight battle but the Halton 4-H team came out on top followed by Durham-East, Oxford, Carleton, Temiskaming and Grey. Deanna Glasgow, Scott Gooding, Rebecca Murray and Christine Wilkinson of Halton 4-H were thrilled to take home “4-H gold”. Being new to GFTG Members of the Halton team were extremely thankful to have Marie Martin, a seasoned GFTG pro, as their coach. Marie used her expertise to lead the competitors through many intense preparation sessions, including a nine hour “cram” session the day before the championships. “I just spit out random 4-H facts now,” said Christine Wilkinson. The whole team jokes they know more about sewing, wearable art, dairy cattle, bread and more, than they ever thought they would. GFTG’s success is due to generous support from sponsors, the RAWF, spectators and enthusiastic 4-H Members and dedicated 4-H Volunteers. GTFG will be running again in a few shorts months so hopeful potentials out there should be advised to start studying early if you want to be the next GFTG superstars! Leadership In Action • Winter 2011
SERVING ONTARIO AGRICULTURE A 4-H Alumni Profile By Lois James For many 4-H Ontario Alumni, the name “Ken Knox” is synonymous with 4-H and serving agriculture. This humble man has had a remarkable career in the agriculture industry and it all started through his local 4-H Clubs. Ken’s 4-H experience instilled a desire to serve the public and give back to the community. “Since I couldn’t afford to buy the farm next door, I decided to become a public servant,” Ken explains. Ken pursued this path and in 1972 joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) as an assistant agricultural representative in Waterloo County. While in 4-H, Ken learned local leadership is the key to implementing positive change within a community. As a young 4-H Member in Durham County, he recognized that it was his 4-H Leaders who served the community and drove change across the province. “It’s the commitment of volunteers who make a difference in their communities,” Ken notes. This realization served as the foundation for many of the initiatives he pursued. “When I entered government service, I brought that same philosophy with me. Let the people who can do it best, do it” says Ken. “At that time, government was very paternalistic, but we were beginning to understand that we needed to back away and turn programs over to local people for them to run,” explains Ken. Ken continued with OMAFRA for 30 years. He took on numerous roles including contributing to youth programs, acting as Supervisor of 4-H and Junior Farmer Programs, Director of the Extension Branch, Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister. During the period of downsizing the provincial public sector, Ken was instrumental in designing creative ways to ensure that the most crucial agricultural structures and programs were adapted but still maintained. His Leadership In Action • Winter 2011 recognition of the value of extension and education programs for rural youth facilitated the development of an independently funded 4-H organization, with OMAFRA still providing significant financial support. Although this was a difficult period, Ken wanted to ensure the integrity of the 4-H program remained for future generations. “I have memories of 4-H Leaders telling us about integrity,” Ken says. “From them, we learned through judging that you make a decision based on your research, then you stick by it and defend your decisions. Well thought out reasoning and research are skills you need to survive in life.” In addition to integrity and reasoning skills, Ken also learned other life skills from the program. Ken attributes his leadership to his 4-H education. “I was a shy little kid who could not speak publicly until I went to 4-H Leadership week (now Provincial 4-H Leadership Camp),” Ken shares. “There is no doubt that 4-H changed my life.” Goal setting was one of the more important skills Ken learned as it was the driving force behind his 30 years of agriculture service. “At 65, every day is still a new journey but you only make a difference if you aggressively pursue your goals,” Ken explains. “At regional 4-H conferences we learned to set goals. I was struck with what I learned from the Volunteers and one of my goals was to serve others. It’s a goal I live by.” Ken’s leadership and influence was recognized this year with his induction into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was the driver behind the creation of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program; the creation of Agricorp and other risk management programs; the transfer of the Ridgetown, Kemptville and Alfred agricultural colleges to the University of Guelph; transforming the farm property tax rebate program into a permanent reduced-property-taxassessment program for farmland and farm buildings; and the development of Agriculture in the Classroom, (Ontario Agri-Food Education, Inc.). Outside the public sector, Ken’s leadership continued as a founding board member, director, president or CEO of several innovation and biotechnology institutes, research centres and other organizations. Ken continues his involvement in Ontario agriculture today as Chair of the Departmental Audit Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as an advisor to agricultural associations and as owner of a 500 acre cash crop and pumpkin farm, and Knox/First Start Acres Percherons. Although Ken is farming now, it was a great service to Ontario agriculture that almost 45 years ago he couldn’t afford to buy the farm next door. Images: A recent photo of Ken and a clipping from a 1983 “Enthusiast” magazine published by the Rural Organizations and Services Branch of OMAFRA. Lois James is 4-H Ontario’s Coordinator, Alumni Services, a position 100% funded by a Promotional Partnership with Hyland TM Seeds. Hyland TM Seeds is passionate about agriculture and believes in supporting the people who are deeply rooted in the agricultural industry, and dedication to 4-H is proof of this commitment. 13
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Page 5 and 6: IN BRIEF local stories Rebuilding t
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leadership - 4-H Ontario

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