leadership - 4-H Ontario

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.
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