Greetings and Happy New Year! by Laura Fraser, OFA Member Service Representative, Oxford and Elgin Counties Laura.fraser@ofa.on.ca There is no better way to start a new year than with an exciting and educational event to look forward to. The Elgin Federation of Agriculture
This event empowers young students by providing them with the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions about the agriculture sector. We hope to show the many viable career opportunities other than farming in agriculture, such as mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and accountants. We also need lawyers and software engineers for all the latest robotics on farms, and so much more. Students will get the chance to speak about a variety of roles and professions in agriculture with industry professionals who volunteer their time. Communicating the benefits of agricultural work to a younger demographic is imperative to attracting young workers and to securing our future. We are hopeful that this event will help to close the knowledge gap and show students that you don’t have to be from a farm to work in agriculture. The event’s largest expense will be for bussing the students to it. While supported by Agscape and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the EFA is responsible for the event’s costs. To run a successful event, they are currently looking for more sponsorships and local donations. If you are interested in supporting this event in any way, or for more information on the event, please reach out to elginfarmers@gmail.com.
(EFA) recognizes the importance of youth and educator knowledge regarding the vital roles agriculture and food play in our society and economy. Closing the food literacy gap and addressing labour shortages in agriculture and food is critical to our community and economy and ensuring we can feed our growing population. On April 15th and 16th, the EFA, together with AgScape, a charitable organization dedicated to serving Ontario edu- cators and youth, is taking over the Joe Thornton arena to host a career exploration event in Elgin County. This event will provide an excellent opportunity to assist our youth in making real-world connections between the Agri-sector and the world they live in. They plan to host each day, 600 local students in grades 7-10 to experience industry representatives, running stations related to agriculture, food, and hands-on careers meant to capture their interest. Students will be placed in small groups which will switch stations every 10 to 12 minutes, allowing them a fun and interactive way of learning about food and agriculture.
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All articles written by Geoff Rae unless otherwise indicated. Copy Editor – Peter Bloch-Hansen Publisher: Barb Botten barb@villagerpublications.com Graphic Artist – Cathy Wood Photos, community events and article suggestions welcome. Copyright @ 2015 Villager Publications. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Publisher.Information presented has been compiled from sources believed to be accurate at the time of printing however the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Page 12 Real Living • Winter 2025
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